Basic Necessity
by uniuniunicorns
Summary: Jo lost everyone she cared about when the dead started eating the living. Daryl comforted her and has fought to show her he loves her... and she loves him. Will they ever be able to have a "normal" life together? Can Jo forget her past and allow herself to fall in love? Is it true? Is love a basic necessity?
1. Chapter 1

"Jo, I'm completely in love with you. Why are you pushing me away?"

She sighed. "I don't know if I can believe in love during a time like this," she said, raising her gun for affect.

"Don't you want to feel something? I know you care about me, Jo," Daryl said.

Her head dropped into her hands. She began to sob. Daryl wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. Neither had showered in days, but his scent was comforting.

"Of course I love you, Daryl. You're the only one who has been there for me. I just don't know what it means."

"It still means the same thing, even if the world might be ending."

He touched her face and pulled her in for a kiss. His hand moved from her cheek, to her shoulder and her waist. He pulled her hard into the kiss, not wanting it to end.

"Hey, Daryl… Oh shit, sorry," Glenn said as he came around the corner into their cell.

Jo stood up, flattening the creases from her blouse. "I'll see you guys for dinner. I'm going to get cleaned up."

"Jesus, Glenn, could you pick a worse time?" Daryl said, standing up.

"Sorry, man. How is everything?"

"Well, I just got her to admit she loves me. So, that's a start."

"Awesome, man! We were hoping to have some meat for dinner. Any chance you could help?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Daryl grabbed his crossbow and headed toward the woods surrounding their safe haven. He was hunting, but all he could think about was Jo.

Their whole relationship had been difficult. They didn't get along at first - when there was more of them – when he had his brother and she had her father. Then they both went through a loss and he saved her life. That night was the first night they slept together. It was passionate and filled a hole in both of them. Daryl was head over heels for her since then, but she seemed to regret it. She thought it made her weak.

Once they were on the road, leaving their camp and the CDC behind, it was harder to share a connection and she avoided him as much as possible.

But, then they found the farm and they were drawn to each other again. He was the only one she confided in about her father. He was the only one she fully trusted.

Then they found the prison, lost Lori and had the baby and she pushed away again. She was afraid of love, especially in this world, especially seeing Rick lose it when Lori died.

Daryl let loose another arrow and called it a day – three squirrels and a rabbit. As he entered the prison yard, Jo met him halfway from the lookout tower.

"I'm sorry I've been like this. I'm just scared," Jo said, grabbing his arm.

Daryl grabbed her hand and kissed it. "It's ok, babe. I love you."

"I love you, too." Jo leaned in close to kiss his cheek. "Meet me in the watch tower in 15 minutes?" She leaned away to take in the surprised look on his face, smirked and walked away.

Jo walked back to the prison, changed into a somewhat clean pair of clothes, brushed her teeth and found some make-up. She raked her fingers through her hair and put lipstick on. She headed to the watch tower early with a blanket and pillow.

Daryl took his kill to the kitchen. He unslung his crossbow and changed his clothes. He was already hard just thinking about their interaction. They hadn't been together in weeks. He splashed water on his face and under his arms.

Maggie walked in as he was leaving. "Is that cologne I smell?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Daryl blushed.

"Oh, good! You and Jo have a date in the watch tower, don't you?"

"Keep it to yourself."

Maggie hugged him. "I'm so happy."

Daryl shrugged her off. "Don't be happy for me til I come out of that tower with a smile on my face and Jo under my arm."

Maggie laughed. "Good luck."

Daryl made his way up the tower stairs. His heart was racing. He let out a deep breath before opening the upstairs door.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl entered the watch tower to find Jo laying on a blanket with a smirk.

"Hi," he said, laughing. Daryl knelt down and kissed her. His hand cupped her cheek and he pulled her to him. Jo gripped his shirt and pulled him on top of her. His hands were flying all over her. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," she said into his mouth. She tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

Daryl took a moment to take in her beauty as he was above her. Her soft, light brown waves fell past her shoulders and her green eyes blazed with excitement. Daryl tugged Jo's shirt over her head and kissed her neck as she lowered onto her back again. A moan escaped her lips as he tugged off her pants. He breathed in her scent as Jo dug her fingernails into his back. Daryl rolled onto his back, digging his fingers into her thighs and watching her curls that he loved so much.

Jo sighed and laid her head on his shoulder when it was finished.

"I love you," Daryl whispered in her hair.

She lifted her head and kissed him. "I love you, too." After a moment she said, "I'm not scared anymore, babe."

"Not scared of what?"

"Being with you. Trying to have a life together."

He kissed her again. "I'm glad I have you back."

They slowly dressed and made their way back to the cellblock. Daryl put his arm over Jocelyn's shoulder and she snuggled into him as they entered the prison.

Maggie and Hershel were skinning the animals for dinner when Maggie made eye contact with Daryl and smiled.

"Finally," Hershel said to her as he saw the two walk into their shared cell. "She's been pushing away from everyone for awhile now. I'm glad she's back."

"Me too," Maggie said, throwing cut up meat into a bowl.

Jo and Daryl lay together on the cot and talked about what they would be doing right now if zombies didn't overrun the world.

"I'd take you out to dinner and spoil you rotten," Daryl said. "But, let's be honest, if things were back to normal, you wouldn't go for a guy like me."

Jocelyn leaned up on her elbow. "Not with that kind of confidence, I wouldn't," she said. "I wasn't the kind of girl you think I was. I didn't sit around putting on make-up. I played football and baseball with my brothers." She paused, thinking of the last time she saw her brothers. "But, you're probably right. My brothers would have never let me date a guy like you."

Jo pinched his cheek. Daryl smiled and grabbed her by the waist, tickling her until she screamed "uncle."

"But really," Jo said after a moment, "what's it matter if I would or wouldn't have dated you? We aren't the same people we were… and we never will be."

She lay down on her back, her hands across her stomach and stared at the bottom of the bunk above them.

The truth was, Daryl was wrong. He was everything she ever wanted in a man. Strong, brave, independent, handsome and a fighter. She knew it from the moment she joined the group. She could see through his attitude and composure. He was only like that because of his brother. Daryl was a sweetheart underneath and Jo had a feeling in her gut from the first day something would happen between them. She knew, and she was still scared.

Daryl rolled over to face her. "Tell me a story," he said.

"A story?"

"Yeah. It can be true or not… I just wanna hear you talk."

"A story…" she paused before beginning. "So, there was this girl named Lucy who was a loner most of her life. She never liked to stay in one place. She left home when she was 17 to explore the world, and she never went back home until her dad got really sick. It wasn't that she didn't love him, she just hated home. It reminded her of her mother, who broke her father's heart and never gave a shit about her kids.

"So, her dad got sick and she moved back home to take care of him. Seeing him sick made her regret moving and losing that precious time with him. She beat herself up about it every day. One exceptionally beautiful day, her father was feeling better, so they decided to go for a walk. When they went outside, it was eerily quiet and her two brothers pulled up just as they locked the front door. They were in a panic – talking about people at the hospital eating other people. Lucy didn't understand until Mr. Hendricks, the next door neighbor, came up behind her brother, Alex, and sunk his teeth into his neck."

Daryl realized Jo was telling him her own story and sat up on his elbows to lean close. "You don't have to talk about it," he said.

Jo brushed his hand away from her cheek and continued. "Her other brother, Charlie, rushed them into the house. They could hear Alex screaming outside. Charlie grabbed dad's truck keys and shuffled them into the garage. He didn't even open the garage door – just drove right through it. He drove out of the neighborhood we grew up in, watching friends and neighbors eat or be eaten.

"After hours, we had to stop for gas. Charlie checked everywhere to make sure we were safe. He was almost done pumping when the station attendant came from around the building and grabbed him. Charlie hit him with a bat, but it barely slowed him down. Charlie yelled for us to go. The last thing I saw was my brother's throat being ripped out."

"Jo, please."

"Let me finish," she said, with tears in her eyes. "My dad and I drove all night and then we ran out of gas near a national park we used to camp at. That's when we got out and started walking. We'd almost given up hope when I heard talking… like a whole group of people. And that's when we found you guys. We walked into that camp scared and horrified, but somehow, I only remember one interaction with a grumpy redneck from that day."

She paused to smile. "We walked to the fire and sat down. He immediately stood up and said, 'Oh great, two more mouths to fuckin' feed.' But before you walked away, there was a moment where it was just you and me. We made eye contact and you smirked just a little bit."

Daryl smirked.

"Yeah, just like that," she said, touching his lips. "And it was that moment that I knew you were the one I'd be with." She sighed. "So, you see, Mr. Dixon, you're completely wrong about where I'd be or who I'd be with if we were in a different situation. I liked you even when you were a dick to me."

Daryl reached up and pulled Jo into a kiss. When they parted, he said, "The only reason I was such a dick was because that was the only way I could act around you without having to get to know you. I knew, kind of like you did, that the moment I let you in, I'd be head over heels. And that's exactly what happened."

"You regret it?"

Regret what?"

"That night you saved my life, held me while I cried over my dad and we shared our tent for the first time?"

"That was the best thing I've ever done. I would never regret that." He kissed her again. She laid her head on his chest and they fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: My rehashing of things that actually happened in the show are not spot on, I'll admit it. But, they really wouldn't be exactly the same if there was another character, would they? Just go with it, yeah?**

Daryl and Jo woke up with a start. Rick was yelling in the outside room… yelling at someone.

They went to the other room to see what the commotion was. Rick was over a woman, asking her questions. Finally, he came through the gate and locked it.

"Who the fuck is that?" Daryl asked, following Rick to the inner cells.

"She walked to the fence carrying a basket of formula. She said Glenn and Maggie were taken to a town nearby. We have to go get them."

"I'm in," Daryl said immediately.

"I am too," Jo said.

Rick and Daryl both looked at her.

"No way, babe," Daryl said.

"Don't pull that male elitist shit on me. I can help," Jo said.

"I don't know, Jo. If we have both of you go, your decisions might be altered. We need everyone clear-headed," Rick sad.

"Are you fucking serious?" Jo asked. "Wow. " Jo walked back to the cell and slammed the door shut dramatically.

Daryl discussed strategy with Rick for a moment before walking to the closed cell. He put his arms through the bars and leaned forward, resting his head against the metal.

"Don't be mad at me," he said.

Jo didn't look at him as she lay on the cot.

Daryl opened the cell door and entered slowly. "Babe, you know if we both go and one of us gets into trouble the other would completely lose focus," he said.

Jo looked his way. "You also can't stand the thought of me out there fighting."

Daryl couldn't help but smile. "Of course I hate the thought of you being in danger. I'd be a bad boyfriend if I didn't."

"Whoa, boyfriend? I don't remember taking that plunge," she said.

"Sorry, girl. You're stuck with me," he said with arms raised. He laughed and sat on the cot.

Jo sighed. "I still think this is bullshit."

"I know ya do."

"I'm worried about you guys going. Be careful."

"Don't worry."

"Yeah, I'll do my best not to worry about you." She kissed his forehead and led the way out of the cell. Rick, Michonne and Oscar were prepping for the rescue.

"Daryl, I'm gonna need you on your game," Rick said, handing him his crossbow.

"Don't worry 'bout me," he responded.

As they left the prison, Jo held Daryl back. She took his hand in hers and pressed something cold into it. He opened his hand and saw her locket necklace.

"For good luck," she said.

Daryl put the necklace on under his shirt before grabbing her face roughly and kissing her.

"Now, go save Glenn and Maggie," she said as they parted. Tears gushed out of her eyes as soon as he turned away. When Daryl turned back, her hands were covering her eyes and Carol had her arm over Jo's shoulder comforting her. Daryl let out a sigh and jumped into the truck.

Carol led Jo back into the prison as the truck pulled away and sat her on the stairs. When she returned, she had baby Judith in her arms, giving her a bottle. Jo looked up and smiled through her tears.

"Could I feed her?" Jo asked.

Carol smiled and handed Judith down to Jo carefully. She took a seat next to Jo and brushed Judith's hair lovingly. Jo stared into that innocent face and smiled.

"You know, when I first saw Daryl feed her, I about cried," Jo said as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "It was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. I knew I loved him then… and call me crazy, but seeing that kinda made me wanna have little badass redneck babies with him." She brushed a tear that fell from her face to Judith's and smiled at the thought of little Daryl's running around. "I guess we don't live in that kinda world anymore, though, do we?"

Carol smiled meekly and touched her face. "You never know."

Jo shifted Judith in her arms, causing her to let out a cry. "Shhh, darlin'. It'll be ok."

"You never know," Carol said.

An hour had passed before the rescue team returned. Rick led in an injured Glenn and terrified Maggie with Michonne following behind. Hershel immediately began to attend Glenn's injuries. Jo didn't see Daryl and Rick walked straight toward her.

"Jo, listen," Rick began.

"Where is he? Where's Daryl?" she asked with panic in her voice.

"He was captured," Rick said. "Jo, he's still alive. We're going back for him."

"How did you let him get captured? How could you do this? And you just left him?" Jo was screaming and pacing. Tears were streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Jo. I'm so sorry."

"Well, what are we going to do? Let's go after him!"

"We need everyone who can fight," Rick announced.

Carol, Michonne and Carl all stepped up next to Jocelyn.

"We can help," came a voice behind them.

That's when Rick first noticed the new group locked in the next room.

"Who are you?" Rick asked.

"I found them in the prison," Carl said.

"I'm Tyreese. This is Sasha, Ben and Robert," said the leader, a tall, black man.

"I don't know you. Who are you?" Rick asked, stressed.

"It doesn't seem like you have much time for that. Tell us what we can do and we'll help," Tyreese said.

Rick hesitated.

"Come on, Rick. We need them. Daryl needs us," Jo yelled.

Rick unlocked the door and quickly made a plan. They left the prison heavily armed 15 minutes later.


	4. Chapter 4

Jo tried to stay calm, but all she could think of was the worst. She heard Rick talking to Carol.

"Merle is there at Woodbury. He did that to Glenn," he said.

"Daryl's brother?" Jo asked from the back seat.

"Yeah," Rick said, eyeing her in the rearview mirror.

They ditched the truck a mile out and ran through the dark to surround the front gates of Woodbury. They were all unsure of their plan, but they needed a distraction. As they neared the town, the group stopped. Rick took out a blade and approached Jo.

"No, I can do it," Jo said, taking out her own blade. She cut her arm and then turned to Carol. "Punch me."

"I can't," Carol said, shaking her head.

"Do it, Carol. This needs to be believable," Jo demanded.

Carol hesitated a moment before drawing her arm back and hitting Jo in the left eye. Rick caught her as she reeled backward from the hit. "Shit, Carol, you have an arm on ya," she said.

"Sorry."

Jo smiled.

"Alright, be as convincing as possible," Rick whispered. "You were separated from your group a day ago because of a herd. You were running through the woods from walkers tonight when you ran into a tree."

Jo nodded.

"The Govna's a sonofabitch," Michonne said. "Be careful."

Jo worked up tears and stumbled out onto the road. She held her arm as she ran toward the gate. A floodlight swung toward her movements. She stumbled over a dead walker. "Help," she sobbed. She crawled a ways before standing again.

"Stop right there!" a man on the gate yelled. She heard the door creak open as she shielded her eyes from the light. A man approached her slowly with a machine gun pointed at her. She worked up more tears and was breathing heavily as he stopped in front of her. "Have you been bit?" he asked.

"No," Jo sobbed. "I was running from a group of walkers in the woods and ran into a t…t…tree."

"Are you armed?"

"Just this." She hated to hand him her gun, but she had to. He inspected her wounds and led her inside Woodbury. All the while, the others were jumping over weak spots in the gate.

They followed the sound of yelling to the back lot of the town and saw Daryl and Merle in the center of a screaming crowd.

"Holy shit," Maggie whispered. They could hear the crowd chanting for blood. They moved along the outskirts of the lot in the shadows and waited.

The gatekeeper led Jo into a darkened building. He opened a door leading to the basement. The smell of blood was apparent. Jo slipped the knife from her sleeve and stabbed the man in the neck. He slipped to the floor and Jo snatched his machine gun and her pistol back. She crept out of the building and followed the noise of the crowd.

She stayed in the shadows of the alley until she spotted Rick, who pointed her in the direction of the generators. Jo met Tyreese there and she easily found where to disconnect the power, which would turn off the huge lights glaring down on the circle where she saw Daryl and a one-handed man who could only be his brother, Merle.

The Governor yelled to the crowd about Daryl and Merle being terrorists and disrupting their solemn existence. The crowd cheered for blood and Jo cut the power.

As soon as the lights cut out, panic set in among the townspeople. They began evacuating the lot and during the confusion, the team was able to surround the Governor and his men. Daryl had made his way to the edge of the circle, away from the guards. Jo grabbed him and whispered, "It's me," over the shouts and gunfire before cutting his wrists free and handing him her pistol and knife.

Lights suddenly flashed on and the Governor had a gun to Andrea's head, who had been close to the circle with a horrified look on her face when the lights were cut. All but two of the Woodbury guards had been taken out, and those two had dropped their weapons.

Michonne stepped out from the shadows and let out a growl.

"Aw, Michonne, come to reclaim your friend?" The Governor asked. Andrea had a terrified look on her face as she looked from the Governor to Michonne.

Merle met Daryl's eyes and smirked. Before Daryl could do a thing, Merle rushed at the Governor from his blindside (thanks to Michonne) and hit him by surprise. Andrea flew out of his arms as a shot rang into the air. The two guardsmen tried to grab their weapons, but before they could one had a knife to the throat thanks to Daryl and one was shot between the eyes from Rick.

Daryl ran to his brother's aid as Merle wrestled the Governor. He was 10 yards away when the Governor got a hit through and gained the upper hand. The Governor's lipped curled as he shot Merle in the chest and took off down the alley.

Daryl raced to his brother's side while Michonne stalked after the Governor.

"No! No! No! No!" Daryl yelled as he reached Merle and lifted his head into his lap.

Merle had a smile on his face. "Don't worry, baby brother, I'll be aight," he coughed. "Think there's pussy in heaven?"

"Daryl, we have to go," Rick said urgently.

Daryl let out a yell as Merle had one last laugh and died. "No! Merle, no!"

"Daryl, please," Jo said, pulling on his arm. Daryl slowly rose. He didn't take his eyes off Merle's body as Jo pulled him toward the wall.

Michonne didn't come back and they couldn't afford to wait for her. Daryl laid his head on Jo's shoulder as they drove back to the prison. Jo felt his tears trickle down her shirt.


	5. Chapter 5

_Jo woke and found herself inside the tent. Light was breaking over the mountain and she could hear rustling in the tent next to hers – Daryl and Merle were always early risers._

_She rolled over and peaked at her sleeping father. His illness was becoming more apparent as the days passed. If they had to run or abandon their campsite quickly, he would be a liability._

_Jo sat up and tugged on her boots. The early morning air was crisp as she stepped out and tugged on a sweatshirt. She zipped the tent closed and stood, spotting Merle leaning against a tree taking a morning piss. She walked the opposite direction toward the lake._

_She enjoyed her mornings. It was the only time she could be alone with her thoughts. She climbed down the rocks and perched next to the water's edge. She watched tadpoles dart in the shallow water as she thought about everything and nothing at all._

_The sound of pebbles rolling down the hill caught her attention. Jo had her knife in her hand and shot up to a crouching position in an instant._

_Daryl's arms went up innocently. "Whoa, calm down, girl," he said, walking closer to her._

_Jo didn't say anything. She put the knife back in its scabbard and sat down, facing away from him._

_Daryl walked closer, his crossbow swung over his back. He stood to Jo's right, staring at the water with his arms crossed over his chest. "What are ya doin' up so early?" he asked._

_"I was enjoying some private time," she responded, throwing a pebble into the water._

_He smirked, but she didn't see it. "What's wrong with yer dad?"_

_"He's dyin'."_

_"Of what?" Daryl inched closer, trying to see the expression on her face._

_"Does it matter?" she asked, looking up at him. "Aren't we all dyin'?"_

_Daryl squinted his eyes and shrugged. "I ain't dyin'."_

_"Yet," Jo finished. She stood up and faced him. "Why do you care about my dad so much?" She rested her hands on her hips._

_"Just curious."_

_Jo moved from the rock she was on and kicked her boots off. She pulled her socks off and tugged her sweatshirt over her head._

_"What are ya gonna do?" Daryl asked._

_"Go for a swim." She pulled her tank top off, revealing a purple lace bra. A long locket necklace hung past her breasts. She took that off too._

_"No, I mean when your daddy dies, what are ya gonna do?" Daryl had swung his crossbow off his back and had his shirt off. He was kicking his boots off when she turned to him. She didn't look mad or upset. She knew it was going to happen soon. She'd come to terms with that._

_"I'll probably go for a swim then, too," she said, tugging off her jeans. Jo waded into the water and dove in. She didn't invite Daryl, but she didn't ask him to leave either. He took off his dirty jeans and swam after her._

_From above, Merle watched. He spit toward the lake and walked away._

Daryl hadn't talked to anyone but Jo in three days. And his interactions with Jo were few and far between. He spent most of his time in the watch tower or hunting. He never expected to see his brother again, and when he did, he died for him. Daryl didn't know how to deal with that.

Other than Jo, Carol seemed the most worried about him. But every time she tried to talk to him she got one-word answers.

"Don't worry too much," Rick told her on the afternoon of the third day. "This is the only way he knows how to mourn – push people away."

Carol sighed and picked up baby Judith. She walked out of the prison and into the warm afternoon. Judith was cooing on her shoulder. She shielded her eyes as she searched the grounds for Daryl.

He wasn't in the watch tower or patrolling the outer fence. She walked to the side of the building and found Daryl trying to lift a heavy piece of sheet metal. The exertion hurt his back and he dropped the metal, cursing. He began to kick the fence in anger. When Carol reached him, tears were streaming down his face.

"Daryl, are you ok?" she asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He flinched away.

"I'm fine." He wiped the tears from his cheeks and wiped his dripping nose.

Carol pulled her hand back and covered Judith's head. "Daryl, you need to talk to someone. We're all here for you."

"My brother's dead, what's there to talk about?"

"That. What you're feeling." Daryl leaned against the fence with his arms crossed. "Daryl, I lost someone too. We all have," Carol said. "You don't need to suffer alone."

"I ain't sufferin'," he said.

"Well I know Jo is," Carol said. "She's so broken, Daryl. She doesn't know what to do. All she wants is to talk to you and comfort you, but you're pushing her away. Merle may have been your brother, but he is now your past. Jo is your future."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He kicked off the fence.

"You know what she told me the night you were taken? She told me when she saw you hold and feed Judith that she fell even more in love with you," Carol said, motioning to the baby in her arms. "She said, 'As crazy as this sounds, seeing him take care of that baby made me want to have little badass redneck babies with him.'"

Daryl was quiet for a long moment. "She said that?"

"She's your future, Daryl. Don't push her away." Carol touched his arm lightly and walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl quickly returned to his "normal" self, which had Jo a bit suspicious, but she was happy to have him back. She stood in their shared cell folding newly washed clothes when he walked in after barely speaking to anyone for three days. He hugged her from behind. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt him behind her.

Daryl rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said.

Jo turned around and Daryl wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked into his blue eyes and kissed his lips lightly. "It's ok," she said when they parted. "I understand."

"I know you do. I should have let you in to help," he said, almost shamefully.

"Stop it. Everyone deals with grief differently."

Daryl looked down at her. He was thinking about what Carol said – about Jo wanting to have babies with him. His eyes drifted inadvertently to Jo's stomach and he brushed a hand over it.

Jo looked down at his hand and back up at Daryl. "What?"

Daryl smirked and looked at her. "Nothin'. Just somethin' I heard." He pulled her into a hug, but Jo pushed away.

"What did you hear?"

"Carol just said somethin' about you wanting to have my babies... Do you?"

Jo was surprised. She'd said that almost in passing. She wasn't serious about it – she couldn't be in the world they now lived in. And she never expected Carol to tell Daryl. Jo let out an embarrassed laugh. "I don't know. We can't…" she trailed off. She could feel her cheeks burning red.

"Why can't we?"

Jo's eyes grew wide. Was he actually considering this?

"Because Daryl, do you see where we live? How hard it's been taking care of Judith? We can't."

"But you want to?"

"Where is this going?" Jo asked.

"Nowhere," he said. "I just like the thought of you having my babies. My little badass redneck babies." He smiled.

Jo laughed. "That make you feel good? Feelin' pretty cocky about yourself?"

"Nah, I just don't know anyone else who would want to have 'em. And I'd want it to be you."

Jo blushed. "Well, in the event that the world isn't overrun by flesh-eating monsters, I'll consider having babies with you."

"Deal," he said. He kissed her again, leaning into her. Jo dropped the shirt she'd been folding and grabbed his face. He picked her up and pushed her against the wall. His lips traced down her neck as her fingers threaded through his hair. Jo let out a moan as Daryl walked to the bed with her in his arms. Jo ripped off her shirt as he set her down. She unbuckled his pants while he took off his shirt. Daryl kissed her and slowly moved on top of her. Jo yanked down Daryl's boxers as he ripped her panties.

Daryl entered her gently. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

Sweat trickled down Daryl's cheek as they finished. He kissed her cheek as she sighed.

"Do you think we're ever going to have a normal life?" she asked as Daryl rolled off her.

"What do ya mean 'normal?'" He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Where we won't be worried about being eaten. Where we can have dinner, go to a movie… where we could have a family."

He looked in her eyes and smiled. "I dunno, babe. I hope so, though."

Jo snuggled into his chest. "Me too."


	7. Chapter 7

Michonne had returned the day after the rescue with bad news. She hadn't been able to kill the Governor.

"He slipped right through my fingers," she said, angrily.

"They know where we are," Andrea said. "We either have to take him out or move on. He won't stop until he kills us all."

"We can't give this place up," Carol said. "It's the first semblance of normalcy we've had since we were camped outside of Atlanta."

"Lets take that fucker out," Daryl said.

Rick, Glenn and Daryl began forming a plan while the women planned how to fortify the prison.

Jo held Judith, rocking back and forth to calm her. She looked up and caught Daryl watching her from across the room. He smiled at her and again thought of starting a family with her.

Jo was in her own world as everyone planned. She was thinking about her niece when she was an infant, which led her to think about her father and the day she lost him.

_They'd been at the camp for about two weeks when it happened. Her dad had been getting worse each day, but he still tried to help around the campsite. Jo was at the lake washing clothes when she heard his yell in the woods. She ran toward his yells as quickly as her bare feet would carry her. When she reached her father, he was laying in a clearing with a dead walker next to him._

_Daryl stood nearby with his crossbow. He yanked his arrow out of the walker's head as Jo reached her father. She collapsed next to him, tears streaming down her face. The walker had tore a chunk out of her father's neck. He was gasping for air and tried to give Jo a meek smile._

_"Dad, what were you doing out here?" Jo asked, trying to stop the bleeding._

_"I was just trying to help," he said. "Jo, stay strong. I love you."_

_"No, Dad, you're not gonna die. Dad! Dad!"_

_He gasped for air and passed. Jo let out a scream and leaned back on her haunches, crying._

_"Jo, I'm so sorry," Lori said. "Come on, hon. You don't want to be here when he changes." Lori helped her up and led her away._

_Daryl gave Jo a sad look and walked toward her father to put an arrow in his head._

_Jo walked down to the lake immediately. Daryl approached near dusk._

_"I'm sorry about your old man," he said, sitting next to her._

_She looked at him surprised. They hadn't interacted much in the two weeks she'd been there except for the swim they shared._

_"Thanks." She sighed. "I never thought he'd die from a walker. I tried so hard to protect him. I failed."_

_"I think you did a pretty good job," he said._

_Jo began to cry. "It wasn't good enough."_

_Daryl put his arm around her awkwardly. He'd been watching her closely since she first arrived. She was beautiful... stunning actually, and her laugh was contagious. He rubbed her shoulder and she leaned into his embrace._

_After a few moments she wiped her eyes and stood up. She kicked off her boots._

_"Wanna go for a swim?" she asked, taking her shirt off. This time her bra was red and he couldn't help but stare. Daryl took his clothes off and followed Jo into the cold water. They swam to the middle of the lake before Jo stopped and turned toward him._

_"You know, when you're not around your brother, you're a pretty good guy," she said._

_Daryl chuckled. "You're alright, too."_

_She swam closer to him, water dripping off her face. "Thanks," she said before he closed the space between them. They kissed for a long time while treading water. When they parted, a huge grin spread across Daryl's face._

_"I've been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you," he said._

_She smiled and turned to swim back to the shore. Daryl followed and they walked back to the camp._

_"Jo, we're ready if you'd like to have a service for your father," Dale said. Jo nodded and followed the group up the hill to her father's freshly dug grave. "Would anyone like to say a few words?"_

_Everyone looked at Jo. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She took a deep breath. "I'm the woman I am today because of my dad. I'll never have another man in my life like him. I love you, Daddy. Thank you for everything…" Jo broke off as she began to sob. Daryl stepped up and put his arm around her. She leaned into him and he led her away._

_"Do you want something to eat?" Daryl asked her._

_"Can we just go to bed?" He noted the use of the word "we" and smiled. _

_Daryl opened the tent door for her and followed her inside. Jo sat down and untied her boots. Daryl fidgeted with his shirt._

_"Are you always this nervous?" she asked, smirking and leaning toward him. Jo began to slowly unbutton his flannel. They made eye contact and he moved in to kiss her. He shrugged out of his shirt and pulled Jo's top over her head. He kissed her hungrily as she pulled him on top of her. His hands moved down to her jeans and she helped him tug them off. He took his pants off quickly and kissed her thighs, moving toward her panties. She arched her back with pleasure. She let out a moan and he kissed his way up her body. Her hand found his hardness and she slipped his boxers off. He let out a growl and she guided him in. She gasped as he entered and bit his neck. She muffled her pleasure in his arm. She hadn't been with a man in months, but she'd never been on the same wavelength so instantly._

_After they finished, he held her in his arms. "You're beautiful, you know that?" he asked, kissing her hair._

_Jo bit her lip. Could she do this?_

She snapped out of her memory to find Daryl walking toward her.

"Hey beautiful," he said.

"Hey."

"You look really good with a baby in your arms," he remarked, brushing Judith's hair with his palm.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Do you have a plan?"

"I think so. Who knows if it'll work."

"And about how dangerous is it?"

He only looked at her. She sighed. "Make sure you come back to me," she said, kissing him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Editors note: I hope you all are enjoying the story. Reviews are appreciated!**

Rick, Tyreese, Glenn, Daryl, Michonne and Andrea left the prison at dusk armed and loaded. Jo couldn't stand to say goodbye to Daryl. She perched on the railing atop the watch tower as the truck pulled out. Daryl waved to her from the truck bed and hollered, "See ya soon!"

Jo trusted and believed in the group, but she was terrified for their safety.

Michonne, Andrea and Daryl had crafted the plan to hunt down the Governor. Michonne and Andrea knew where his quarters were and where Milton's research lab was located. They knew wherever Milton was, the Governor wouldn't be far behind.

"He's been doing research on walkers," Andrea had said. "I think the Governor was hoping for a cure for his daughter. Why else would he keep her?"

The group arrived outside of Woodbury at nightfall. They split into two groups – Michonne, Andrea and Tyreese were heading to the Governor's quarters, while Rick, Daryl and Glenn headed to Milton's research lab.

The streets were bare due to the curfew and after their last rescue their defenses were diminished. Andrea guessed the ones who survived were holed up with the Governor, protecting what they could.

Michonne used a tree branch to climb over the wall on the east side of the town. She landed lightly on her feet, her katana raised. She assured the alley was clear before whistling. Tyreese boosted Andrea up and followed her over the wall.

The group snuck into the main building through a side door. It was quiet, eerily quiet. Michonne motioned for the group to stop as she checked the room. It was all clear as Andrea and Tyreese entered. The room was a mess – dressers overturned, the bed thrown against a wall, broken glass on the floor.

"What the hell happened here?" Andrea asked.

"Looks like they've fled," Tyreese said.

Michonne moved quickly up the stairs. She approached the Governor's room stealthily. Leaning her ear against the door, she heard nothing. Slowly, she turned the doorknob and entered the hidden room where he'd kept Penny and found it sparklingly clean. Michonne snarled as Andrea and Tyreese entered behind her.

"Something is up. He'd never leave his kingdom," Michonne said.

* * *

Rick, Daryl and Glenn entered Woodbury from the west. The same as the first group, they saw no guards.

"We couldn't have injured their defenses this much. Where is everybody?" Rick said as they entered the building housing Milton's lab. They entered cautiously, but saw no one. The building was a mess. They stepped over upturned furniture and walked down the stairs. The lab was completely destroyed, all signs of life gone.

Daryl stepped over shattered test tubes and unknown liquids. "The fuck is everyone?" he asked.

"They're gone," Glenn answered

The group moved out of the building, meeting up with the other three in the street.

"The place is deserted. We should get back now," Rick said urgently.

"Where are all the people though?" Andrea said. "They didn't have enough cars here to transport them all."

Michonne strode toward a home and peeked in the window. A snarl escaped her lips. Rick and Daryl ran to her side and looked in. The bodies of two adults and three children lay in the living room. Bullet holes were sprayed into the walls, accentuated with blood splatter.

"Jesus Christ, they fucking killed everyone!" Daryl said, reeling backward. "We have to get back. What if they're going to the prison?"

Michonne had walked three houses down, checking each. Tears had sprung into Andrea's eyes and Rick braced himself, leaning on his knees.

"All the houses are the same," Michonne said as she approached the group. "They killed them all."

"Lets go! Now!" Rick yelled as they sprinted toward the gate.

"Fuck!" Daryl added.

They took out a few walkers as they ran to the truck. Daryl, Glenn, Tyreese and Michonne jumped into the bed while Rick and Andrea got in the cab.

Daryl banged on the side of the truck. "Lets go!" he yelled.

Rick peeled out. They saw no one on the road, but as they approached the prison Rick killed the headlights. A Jeep was parked a mile out. Daryl jumped out the back, inspecting the vehicle.

* * *

Jo remained atop the watch tower as the dust settled from the speeding truck carrying the team to Woodbury. She watched walkers amble outside the gates thinking about her future…if she had one. She sighed and descended the stairs. She thought about Daryl, fantasizing about a life she would probably never attain.

She imagined a quaint cottage atop a hill with the morning sun shining in the sky. A young boy with copper hair and blue eyes ran through the yard. Daryl approached her from behind as she held a chubby, green-eyed daughter.

Jo smiled, lost in her daydream as she exited the tower. A giggle escaped her lips as she closed the door. That giggle turned into a gasp as the barrel of a gun stabbed into her back.

The Governor's growl followed. "Walk."


	9. Chapter 9

Jo stumbled into the prison with tears streaming down her face. She heard other men join the Governor as he forced her at gunpoint into their safe haven.

She let out a sob as she entered the cell block, getting Carol's attention.

"You ok, Jo?..." she spotted the Governor and gasped.

Maggie exited a cell holding Judith after hearing Carol. Jo was apologizing through sobs as the Governor's men filled the cell block. Maggie shoved Beth behind her protectively and Hershel hobbled next to her.

"Well, look who it is," the Governor snarled at Maggie. He let go of Jo's shoulder and she joined the group. Carol put an arm around her and tried to calm her as the Governor said, "You have a baby, huh?"

"She's my sister. You leave her alone," Carl responded.

The Governor laughed. "I'm not gonna do anything with your baby sister." The men were going through their cells, taking all weapons and ammunition.

"It looks like they have this cell block cleared. There's still walkers throughout the prison," one of his men reported back.

"Just like you said, Maggie. Thanks," the Governor said.

"Why do you need the prison when you have a town?" Jo asked, stepping forward.

He laughed, turning his good eye toward her. "I'm tired of taking care of other needy people who piss their pants every time a walker comes moaning about. I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want and you, you pretty little thing, are going to help me do just that."

"I don't know what you have in mind, but you aren't touching her," Carol responded.

The Governor backhanded her so hard she fell to the ground. "Lock them up," he demanded. "Sweatheart, you're coming with me." He grabbed Jo's shoulder. She struggled to get away, pulling his knife from his belt and pointing it at him.

"Get away from me." Her hands were shaking at the possibilities of what this sick man was going to do to her.

"Feisty!" he chuckled, as two of his men grabbed and disarmed her. He took hold of her collar, bringing her inches from his face. "If you ever pull anything like that again, I will brutalize and kill you and all your little friends," he spat. He let go of her and began walking. "Now let's go."

The Governor and eight of his ten men walked to the front of the prison, stopping just inside the open door looking into the field. "The others are at Woodbury, aren't they?" He only had to look at her to know he was right. "We couldn't have planned this any better. What's your relationship with the group? Andrea never mentioned you. What's your name?"

Jo didn't know what to do. She couldn't think of a believable lie on the fly, but she didn't want her relationship with Daryl known. He would surely use that to his benefit. When she didn't respond, one of his men hit her hard in the jaw. "Answer him."

She covered her mouth with her hand and tasted blood. She felt dizzy and could feel her heart beating in her head.

"I…I…I don't know why Andrea never mentioned me. I've been with the group since Atlanta," she said honestly.

"What's your name?"

"Jo."

"You were alone when you joined the group?" He stood with his hands on his hips, facing her.

"I was with my dad. He's dead."

"But you must mean something to the group. You've been with them for so long…" he suggested.

"Well, yeah. We're all family."

"A pretty woman like this," one of his men suggested, "she has to be sleeping with one of the men."

The Governor sneered. "He's right. You're holding out on us. Who are you with? Not the Asian. That pretty one – Maggie – is with him. So who is it? The leader – Rick?"

She gave no answer.

"Merle's brother?"

She grimaced for a moment and he saw it.

"Ha! Perfect! Come on." He dragged her out a ways, turned and punched her. Jo let out a gasp and fell to the ground. The Governor picked her up and tore at her shirt. "You see, this is what's going to happen. Your friends out there are going to discover everyone at Woodbury is dead, and the man they're after is gone. I'm going to be right here, out in the open, waiting for them." He hit her again, sending her to the ground. "I'll be right here with you all battered and bloody. Oh, I'm sure that will drive that hick boyfriend of yours wild." The Governor picked Jo up and unbuttoned her pants. She squirmed, trying to stop him. "Don't you fucking fight me," he said with a finger in her face.

Blood dripped off her bottom lip and her left eye was already swelling shut. The Governor took out his knife to cut through her pants. He ripped them off and finished ripping off her shirt. "Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?"

Jo tried to cover herself with her arms. She was trembling and terrified. She'd never been this scared, not even of walkers. At least with walkers you knew what you were going to get. But with this man, Jo had no idea what her fate would be.

"Look at you. You're shaking from head to foot," he punched her in the stomach, "as you should be."

One of his men picked her up off the ground this time. The Governor turned his back to her and slowly walked. "Play your cards right and you'll make it out of this," he said. The men marched her forward.

* * *

"Are you out there?" The Governor yelled.

"Shit," Rick muttered as the six of them crept toward the prison. They could see four figures standing in the prison yard. "What are we gonna do?"

"I dunno, but my girl is in there. We have to do somethin'," Daryl said.

As they crept a bit closer, Glenn groaned. "That's Jo," he said.''

The Governor walked under one of the lights with his hostage. They could see she was stripped and looked to be battered.

"Hello?" The Governor called. "I think I have something of yours, Daryl."

"That sonovabitch," Daryl said. He moved to get up, but Rick pulled him back.

"Wait, what's our game plan here?" he asked.

"We don't have one. He beat Jo. Imma kill him," Daryl said.

"Wait," Andrea urged. "The four of us will approach," Andrea motioned to herself, Rick, Glenn and Daryl, "If he asks about Michonne, we'll say she left. She's always been a loner. And he doesn't know about Tyreese. I'm sure they have men patrolling the grounds. Michonne and Tyreese will find a way into the yard. We are going to have to see what he wants."

Rick nodded. "That's the best we can do right now."

"Then let's fucking go!" Daryl almost yelled as he sprung up.

"Ahh, there you are. I was beginning to think you had abandoned your weak," the Governor said as they approached. His guards were locked and loaded as the group approached and motioned for them to drop their weapons.

"Get your hands off of her," Daryl snarled, reaching the fence. Her wounds were worse than he imagined. Rage swept through him. Tears were in Jo's eyes and she was shaking her head.

"Now, now, calm down," the Governor said, putting his arms around Jo. She flinched impulsively, making Daryl more furious. "I just had a little fun with your pretty girlfriend like I did with Glenn's."

Glenn's eyes widened at the memory. He was playing with them like a cat plays with a mouse before it kills. "Where's that bitch, Michonne?" he asked, finally.

"She left us a few days back," Rick said. He didn't bother trying to make anything else up.

"She is a loner," the Governor said, seeming to believe it.

"Now, what do you want?" Rick asked.

The Governor laughed. "I want what every man wants. A safe place to sleep, food to eat, a woman to warm my bed…" Andrea scrunched her nose in disgust at that and the Governor played with Jo's hair draped over her shoulder. "But, that's asking a little much these days. So, I'll take the prison you so kindly cleared out for us. If you don't do anything sneaky, I won't even rape this one again before I give her back."

"You mother fucker," Daryl started.

"He didn't rape me," Jo interjected. The Governor slapped her.

"Don't interrupt me," he said.

"Governor, we just want our people safe," Rick said, holding Daryl back.

"And I just want you people out of my hair," he said, smiling.

* * *

Tyreese and Michonne crept along the fence in the darkness. They counted four men on this side, which wasn't a problem. Michonne jumped over the fence, followed closely by Tyreese. She approached a guard from behind and sliced his head off. Tyreese stabbed the next in the lungs and they took shelter against the wall. The third guard rounded the corner right into Michonne's ready katana. They inched along the wall. The could see the Governor, two of his men and Jo standing near the fence talking with their group. Another guard was near the door of the prison. Tyreese crept to him, muffled him with his hand and slit his throat, but not before he let out a yell.

The Governor and his men spun around. The guards let off a few shots into the dark as they ran for Michonne and Tyreese. Tyreese took a bullet to the leg before killing one and Michonne easily slaughtered the other. The Governor held Jo in front of him, a pistol to her head. The group had picked up their weapons. "Hey, watch it," the Governor said, waving the half naked Jo in front of him. Michonne and Tyreese approached the Governor warily. "Well, well, well," he continued. By then, the two men from inside the prison and the other two patrolling joined the group, forcing Michonne and Tyreese to drop their weapons. "No, I'm going to let you four in, but only if you cooperate."

He opened the gate, pulling Jo back by the hair when she tried to reach for Daryl. The group wasn't outnumbered, but they didn't have the weaponry. They'd have to outsmart and out fight them. The Governor motioned for the group to move forward. Daryl walked in front of Jo, watching her over his shoulder. "Are you ok?" he asked.

Jo nodded. "Isn't that adorable," the Governor snarled. He shoved Daryl forward, causing him to snap. Daryl grabbed the knife hidden under his shirt and stabbed the guard next to him. Rick pulled a hidden handgun and shot another one, while Tyreese tackled another and Glenn took out the fourth. Andrea had her gun pulled and was aiming at the Governor once the commotion ended.

"Andrea, I'm hurt," the Governor said, holding Jo close. She was surprisingly calm. Jo made eye contact with Daryl and slowly inched her hand toward the Governor's belt. "Daryl, you seem to forget I don't give a shit about your girl. I won't hesitate to kill her." He cocked his gun dramatically and laughed. "She's no use to me. She's been fucking you? I don't think I want her anymore."

Just as he let out a hideous laugh, Jo grabbed the knife, turned and stabbed the Governor in the neck. He pulled the trigger once as he fell to the ground. Daryl grabbed Jo, hugging her tightly. Andrea stepped on the Governor's chest, pointing her gun at his head. He gurgled blood, smiling as she pulled the trigger. She kicked his dead, worthless body and followed the group inside.

Rick unlocked the cells the rest of the group was locked in as Daryl sat Jo down. He touched her face lightly, inspecting her wounds with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, babe. I'm so sorry. Are you ok?"

She nodded.

Daryl draped a blanket over Jo's shoulders. "I'm so sorry." He kissed her swollen eye, while tears fell from his.

"I'm fine. It's over," she said, laying on the cot and closing her eyes


	10. Chapter 10

Daryl didn't sleep all night. He sat on the edge of the cot, occasionally glancing at his bruised girlfriend. He had let her down. He wasn't there to protect her in her biggest time of need. His head was resting in his hands when Carol walked in.

"Knock, knock," Carol said, holding a bowl. Daryl raised his head to look at her but didn't respond. "I thought you could use some breakfast." Carol set the bowl on the floor next to his feet and took a seat on the chair opposite him.

"I let her down."

Carol sighed and glanced at the still sleeping Jo before responding. "There is no way you could have known that was going to happen. But you guys came back and took care of the threat. We may not have come out without injuries, but we're all still alive and together. That's all that matters."

"She's never going to forgive me. She could barely look at me last night. Fuck, I wouldn't forgive me." Daryl stood and began pacing the small space.

"She loves you."

Daryl continued to pace, rubbing his face in his hands. A sleepy moan escaped Jo's lips, causing them both to look at the beaten woman. Carol stood and lightly touched Daryl's arm. "She loves you," she whispered again, before leaving.

Daryl turned toward the cot to find Jo looking up at him with sleep-ridden eyes. Her left hand traced her swollen eye and she licked her cracked lips. She pulled in a breath sharply causing a sob to escape her mouth. Daryl immediately sat on the cot and pulled her toward him. Jo sobbed into his chest as he stroked her back. After a moment she pulled away and wiped excess tears from her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Jo," Daryl said.

"Stop apologizing. It wasn't your fault," she said. "Stop thinking it was."

"That's all I can think," he said. "I shouldn't have left you. I should have been here."

"You were doing what we all thought was best for the group. We achieved our end goal… just took a different, more painful route," she said, brushing her hand lightly against his cheek. Daryl leaned into it and kissed her palm. After a moment, Jo added, "I've never been so scared in my life… of a human being. It was awful. I don't understand how someone comes to be that way… how someone doesn't care about other people's lives."

"He was a monster."

Jo smiled. "Ow," she said as her lip cracked from the effort.

Daryl chuckled and kissed her.

* * *

The next six weeks brought a sense of normalcy back to the group. Jo's face almost completely healed, Daryl was hunting regularly again, Judith was growing at a healthy rate and the group was able to plant beans and carrots in the prison yard. They each had chores, like any family, and the group actually had fun. Laughter became a normal part of their lives again.

It was a warm, early summer morning. The sun crept over the trees as Jo watered the garden. She looked up just in time to see Daryl walking toward her from the woods, a belt full of prey. She shaded her eyes from the sun and smiled toward him. She was about to yell a hello when they heard it. Both of their heads whipped up toward the sky as the sound of a propeller cutting through the air became distinct and louder. Jo's heart stopped for a moment before she looked at Daryl once more.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

Daryl dropped his crossbow and kills and sprinted toward the prison. "Send off the flares!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Water splashed on her legs as Jo dropped the watering can and raced up the watch tower steps. The group had stashed emergency flares in each tower just in case some miracle occurred and they could be saved. She was breathing heavily when she reached the top and flung open the door. Three flares sat on the desk. She grabbed all three and ran to the watch deck. The sound of the helicopter was getting closer. As she looked to the east, she could just make out a dot in the sun's glare. Jo held the first flare over her head and set it off. It whizzed into the air, exploding red as Daryl and Rick ran out of the prison, closely followed by Glenn, Maggie and the rest of the group.

Jo set off the second flare and began waving her arms in the air, trying to get the chopper's attention. The group in the prison yard began doing the same. It became a dance almost… a dance for a savior. The chopper turned just a little and headed straight for them. Jo set off the third flare just to be sure and was screaming and clapping. The helicopter was getting lower in the sky. They had seen them. They were landing.

Jo raced down the watch tower stairs and joined the group in the yard. She hugged Carol, who had tears in her eyes, and ran to Daryl. The helicopter descended into the prison yard, stirring up dirt and debris. Rick dropped to his knees as he hugged Carl. Maggie and Glenn were dancing and hugging each other and Beth was crying as she held Judith. Hershel stood completely still, sobbing at the site. Michonne reached out to Andrea. She seemed a bit wary, but willing to trust that they were saved.

The helicopter landed and two men emerged from the cab as the pilot shut down the engines. They looked around warily, seeing the walkers attacking the fences, and approached the group. Rick stood.

"H…hello?" Rick said, brushing a hand through his hair with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Boy, are we glad to see you people," the man said, removing his helmet.

"We could say the same," Rick responded.

"I'm Sergeant Jason Adams with what's left of the United States Military." He extended his hand to Rick.

"Rick Grimes. This is what's left of a group that began in Atlanta," Rick said, motioning toward the group.

"We have a survival camp at Fort McPherson. It has a hospital, barracks, showers. We've been able to contact other camps throughout the states," Sergeant Adams said.

Carol was sobbing. "Thank you, Lord."

"If you have any supplies or keepsakes, gather them up. Major Rice will want to speak with you ASAP," Sergeant Adams said.

The group raced back into the prison. It felt like a dream as they packed up blankets and what little belongings they had. Jo stuffed a backpack full of extra clothing as Daryl grabbed her waist, lifting her off the ground.

"Is this real?" she asked.

"I think so. I hope so." He kissed her. The tiniest idea of a future life tinkled in the distance.


	11. Chapter 11

Emotions ranged from disbelief to nervousness to pure giddiness as the group flew over what had been their home for the past few months to the military camp. Rick held Judith in his arms, trying to keep the baby calm as the roar of the helicopter's propeller boomed in their ears. Daryl and Rick locked eyes, sharing a sigh of relief. Throughout this whole endeavor, these people's lives had been on their shoulders. But they weren't just a group of strangers anymore, they were family and they had made it.

"We're taking it down. Hold on," Sergeant Adams said. The chopper began to lower over a large military base. The fence surrounding was reinforced with metal and civilians ambled about the base.

As the helicopter landed, three men ran to meet the group. The leading man seemed astonished by the number of people, silently counting them. "Fifteen? And a baby? That's fantastic. I'm Major Dustin Rice," he said, extending his hand to Rick.

"Rick Grimes."

Major Rice led the group into a large common room. People sat in chairs or on the floor, watching a few children play. They all watched the Atlanta group enter.

"This is our common area. We have plenty of room in the barracks and cabins," the Major said. He led them past the kitchens and through a back door. "Here are the barracks. The rooms are big enough to fit quite a few people if you all want to stay together. Or if you want some privacy you can just do a couple to each room, it's completely up to you." There was a sad look in the Major's eyes as he said the last part. "Please, get comfortable. The rooms in this hallway are all open, so take whichever you like. I'd like to talk to some of you later to get your story once you're settled."

"Thank you so much," Rick said. "I'll come find you when we've rested a bit."

The group began filling up the rooms. Maggie and Glenn and Jo and Daryl each took rooms together, happy to have some semblance of privacy. Andrea and Michonne paired up, while Rick, Carl and Judith took a room. Hershel invited Carol to join he and Beth and Tyreese, Sasha, Ben and Allen bunked together.

Jo stretched out on the bed as Daryl dropped their bags in the corner. He leaned his crossbow against the wall, surprised the military hadn't demanded they relinquish their weapons. He looked at Jo after she let out a sigh and smiled. She looked content, with a small smile across her lips and her eyes closed, enjoying the moment. Daryl lay on the bed next to her, resting his chin on his crossed arms. Jo opened one eye and looked at him.

"I guess this is real," he said.

"I guess so." She rolled onto her stomach, mimicking his body placement. "I wonder if it's too good to be true though."

Daryl had wondered if Jo and the others had caught Major Rice's look. He seemed ecstatic to see them, but what could that mean? "I saw that too. I wonder if we're the biggest group they've found?" he questioned. "I didn't see that many people here…"

"I was thinking the same thing. Jesus, could it be that bad?"

"You've seen what those things do and the amount of them. I could believe it. But that Sergeant said they were talkin' to other camps, so there's gotta be other people there."

"Well, if we ever make it through this we're gonna have to repopulate the world," Jo teased, kissing his nose.

"What are we waiting for?" Daryl grabbed her around the waist and flipped her. Lying on top of her he kissed her passionately before pecking kisses down her cheek and neck. She began to giggle.

"Don't mean to interrupt, but I'm heading to talk to Major Rice, you wanna join me, Daryl?" Rick said, smirking from the doorway.

"Yeah," he said to Rick. "We'll finish this later," he said to Jo, kissing her cheek quickly.

Daryl and Tyreese followed Rick through the common area and out the front doors. Sergeant Adams was talking with a group of soldiers when he spotted them and met them halfway.

"Get settled?" he asked.

"Yeah. Major Rice wanted to talk with us," Rick said.

"I'll take you to his office." The sergeant led the three men across the lot and into a bland, one story building. Major Rice's office was in the corner. He knocked twice before the major yelled for them to enter.

"Thanks, sergeant," he said to Adams. "Please, guys, take a seat." He motioned at the chairs in front of his desk as he stood to greet them, shaking hands with each. "So, please, give me a little back story about your group."

Daryl and Tyreese looked at Rick to take the lead. "Well, I joined a large group outside of Atlanta last summer. I was in the hospital when all this started so I had no clue. Atlanta was overrun and some of the members of the group saved my life. My wife and son, Carl, ended up being part of the group. We stayed there for awhile, but got overrun by walkers and lost a lot of members in one night. We headed to the CDC to try to get some answers, but there was only one guy there and the CDC went up in flames after the generators went down and it did a full decontamination.

"Then we found a farm with an entire family. We were looking for a lost girl, Carol's, so we were allowed to stay until we found her. Unfortunately, she was a walker. We were driven off the farm by a herd and the family that owned the farm joined us.

"After that, we just drove… kept moving throughout the winter. We found the prison in the spring. It was overrun with walkers. We were able to clear out the prison yard and a cell block to live in. But then walkers were let in and we lost some of our own…" Rick trailed off.

"We thought we were safe and we were until we discovered Woodbury," Daryl continued for him.

"Woodbury? That town was lost early on," Major Rice said.

"Well it wasn't anymore. A guy who called himself the Gov'na ran the town. They had it all blocked off and had a lot of survivors there. It seemed safe, but that guy was a nut job. All he wanted was power. Michonne, one of our people, she was out on her own but found us to tell us two of our people had been taken there. It pretty much started an all out war to get them back. That was about the same time Tyreese and his group found us," Daryl said, motioning toward Tyreese. "The Gov'na was beating Glenn and Maggie to get information on where we were. He saw us as a threat to his power. We had kids, women, families to protect. We were just trying to live, so we decided to take out the threat before he took us out."

"And?" Major Rice encouraged.

"When we got there, they had killed everyone – women, children, old, young – shot them all. We raced back to the prison and he had our people held hostage," Rick said. "He beat a young woman to a pulp."

At that, Daryl snarled, causing Major Rice to look at him.

"He beat her for no reason. Just to get a rise out of us. But we were able to take him and his men out. That was about six weeks ago I'd guess," Rick said. "It's been quiet since."

Major Rice let out a breath he'd been holding. "I'm so sorry for all you've been through and those you've lost. I can tell you we are as safe as we can be here. We haven't had a casualty in over two months. We've finally made contact with other military camps who are in similar situations. We have orders from higher ups to send out teams to clear out walkers on a weekly basis. They're trying to slowly handle the outbreak. Until then, we don't have much of a government. We've been sending out search teams for weeks. Your group is the biggest group we've found since the beginning. You've given us hope," he said.

Rick looked at the major sternly. "Are we safe here, Major? We want somewhere to make our home. Or as much of a home that is possible now."

"Absolutely. We have guards day and night, a kitchen, hospital… we're setting up a school right now for the children. We can use all the help we can get, but we want you to stay and to feel at home," he said.

"We're more than willing to help. Daryl is a real good hunter and I'm sure Carol would be a great teacher for the kids. We're all willing to pitch in," Rick said.

"Well, welcome home." Major Rice rose and shook all their hands again.

As the three of them left the building, Rick felt a wave a relief pass over him. "I feel good about our situation for the first time in a long time," he said.

"Me too, man. Me too," Tyreese said.


	12. Chapter 12

The group immediately jumped in to help around the base. Jo and Carol joined the group creating a classroom for the children. They were able to find teaching materials at a school nearby, along with more toys for the younger kids. Jo was in charge of the nursery with a few of the other women. Judith was the youngest, followed by a boy named Zachary who was 3, a girl, Eliza, 4 and her brother, Jonah, 5.

Jo was coloring with Jonah about two weeks after they'd arrived at the camp when Daryl returned from a hunting trip. He looked stressed as she approached him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Daryl unslung his crossbow and cursed under his breath. "I was out hunting for hours. Could barely find anything. I dunno how we're gonna continue feeding everybody."

Jo grimaced and put her hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure something out. There has to be food somewhere."

"Miss Jo?"

Jo turned around to see Zachary pulling on her skirt. "What is it, Zachary?" she asked as she picked him up.

"I have to go potty," he said.

"Well, let's go!" she said, excitedly. She caught Daryl's smile as she walked away with Zachary on her hip. She loved working with the children. It made her feel like she mattered.

Daryl turned to leave after watching Jo walk away with a toddler on her hip. _That woman_, he thought to himself, _is going to be a great mother someday. _He dropped off the few squirrels he was able to pick off in the kitchen and found Rick talking with Carl.

"You got a minute?" Daryl asked.

Rick left Carl and walked with Daryl out of earshot. "What is it?"

"I only got three squirrels," Daryl began. "It's not good. There just isn't any game around here."

Rick sighed. "What do you think we'll have to do?"

"Travel to hunt, I guess. We can't risk leaving this place," Daryl said. "I'll talk to Rice about it."

Rick nodded.

"Major!" Daryl yelled across the grass. Major Rice was talking to one of the women and turned to greet him. "We got a problem."

"What's happened?" the major asked nervously.

"There ain't any game around here. I only got three squirrels on this last trip. It's not enough. We're gonna have ta travel to hunt," Daryl explained.

"Are you comfortable doing that?"

"I mean, I don't wanna, but we have to," Daryl said.

"OK, I'll pull together a group. There's some nice land about an hour's drive from here," Major Rice said. Daryl went to leave when Major Rice put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you," he said. Daryl nodded and walked to the barracks.

* * *

"I have ta go for awhile," Daryl said when Jo got back to their shared room.

"To hunt?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed to take off her boots.

"Yeah. The major said there's nice land about an hour from here. He's putting a team together. We'll probably go for a day or two," he said.

Jo sighed. She had a knot in her stomach, but she didn't want to worry Daryl. He had enough to worry about trying to feed so many people. She kissed him on the cheek. "Be safe, OK?"

"Always am. Love you, babe." They kissed quickly before he grabbed his bag and left.

"Love you more," she mumbled at the closed door as a tear slid down her cheek, terrible images of him never returning plaguing her thoughts.

**Sorry this chapter was kind of slow. It'll get better, don't worry :]**


	13. Chapter 13

It had been four days.

Rick and Jo marched into Major Rice's office the evening of the fourth day since Daryl and a team of four soldiers left to travel an hour southwest to hunt.

"Major," Rick said when they entered his office after one quick knock, " we have to send a group out after them. Something is wrong. We haven't heard anything on the walkie since yesterday morning."

Major Rice stood facing the window with his arms behind his back. He turned slowly and looked Rick in the eyes. "I don't know what you expect me to do, Rick. I can't risk losing more men."

"They could still be alive. We have to at least make sure. Daryl is a huge part of our team. We can't just leave them out there!" Rick yelled. Jo clenched Rick's arm as tears leapt out of her eyes.

"I know how attached you are to him and we are all grateful for what he has done for this camp, but with the diminished number of soldiers we already have, I cannot risk sending more men out not knowing what they'll find," Major Rice said to Rick. He turned his attention to Jo and said, "I'm truly sorry, Jo, but you must understand –"

"Understand what, Major? That the man I love risks his ass for you day in and day out to feed these people that he doesn't even know and you won't even lift a finger to go find him and four of your men?!" Jo interjected. Rick placed an arm around Jo's shoulder as she began to shake with anger and shock. "You're a coward, Major Rice. Daryl is more of a man than you'll ever be. Fuck your apology." Jo spit in Major Rice's face and stormed out of the office with Rick right behind her.

"Jo, you know we won't leave him out there. We're going after them whether the major is sending a team or not," Rick said as they made their way to the yard where the others waited.

"Oh shit, what happened?" Andrea asked, seeing Jo's face.

"He's not sending a team," Rick said as Carol placed an arm around Jo. "He says he can't risk losing more men."

"Well screw him, we're going to find them," Carl said.

Rick's eyes narrowed at his son. "Watch your mouth young man," he scolded. "But, yes, we're going. We need a pretty big team to go. Who's in?"

They decided a few needed to stay behind, but Jo, Andrea, Glenn, Maggie, Tyreese, Michonne and Rick were all arming up early the next morning.

"Dad, you know I can help," Carl said as they headed toward the gate.

Rick knelt in front of him. "I know you can, Carl. But I need you to stay with Judith. You take care of her, OK?"

Carl nodded. Major Rice stood at the front gates when the team approached. He handed them an extra walkie and a map. "They were headed southwest all the way. Follow the river," he said. "Again, I'm so –"

"Save your meaningless apologies, Major," Rick said. "When we find them – and we will find them – I'll be expecting more than an apology. I'll be expecting some answers."

"Answers?"

"To what's going on here and elsewhere. We're about to save your ass and we'll deserve to know what's going on," Rick said, snatching the map from the major's hands and starting the jeep, leading the group out just as light broke over the horizon.

"We've followed the river for 45 minutes. I say we stop here and continue on foot," Rick said.

Michonne leapt out of the jeep, with the others following. Aside from Daryl, Michonne was the best hunter and tracker in their group. She headed into the woods toward the river with the group fanning out beside and behind her. With her katana raised, she moved with stealth through the underbrush. She stopped 10 yards into the woods and pointed.

"Soldiers boot prints," she said.

"Daryl's?" Glenn asked.

"No, Daryl's too light on his feet. But it's probably one of the soldiers who went with him," she responded. "They went this way." She pointed to the left of the river with her katana. "Let me go ahead. There's a clearing. I want to check it out before we're all out in the open."

Jo couldn't stay still. She paced in a small line as Michonne scoped out the clearing.

"We're going to find him," Maggie whispered to her.

Jo only nodded as she continued to pace. She stopped when Michonne came bounding back to them.

"It's not a clearing. It's a drop off about 50 feet to a beach," she said. "There's a whole group of walkers down there."

Andrea cursed and the group grew uneasy.

"Pretty sure one of the walkers had a soldiers uniform on," she continued. "There was disturbed ground right at the edge of the drop off. Looks like they came upon it unexpectedly and one of the soldiers fell."

"You sure you didn't see any walkers that could have been Daryl?" Rick asked.

Jo sucked in a loud breath causing Glenn to place a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm positive. Most of them were pretty decomposed. They've been down there for awhile."

Jo let out the breath she'd been holding. "Where should we head?"

"I think we should continue to follow along the river," Michonne said.

Rick nodded. "Let's go. Don't wanna waste any daylight."

Since they lost their track, the group jogged through the woods over a large area. They put about 20 feet between each of them, scanning the trees for any sign of the missing men. They ran into a few walkers, but nothing they couldn't handle, when Rick whistled, causing them all to stop and head toward him.

When they assembled behind him, they saw what made him stop. A cabin stood in an opening in the trees.

"Do you think they're in there?" Glenn asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Rick said. "There could be any sort of dangers in there – dead or alive – so we fan out, surround the cabin. Michonne, go to the back door if there is one, Glenn and Tyreese, we'll hit the front door. Andrea, Maggie and Jo go around, peak in windows, but be careful. Let's go."

The group surrounded the house quickly. Glenn peaked into the front window before nodding that it was clear to Rick. Rick whistled again, informing everyone they were entering the cabin. Tyreese kicked in the door with Glenn and Rick flanking him. Michonne entered the back door quietly, clearing the kitchen immediately. She saw an open can of beans on the counter. Rick noted a sleeping bag in the living room with a lantern, but no weapons.

Jo, Maggie and Andrea followed the group inside just as Rick headed up a narrow set of stairs. Jo glanced at the sleeping bag when she heard a commotion from above. They rushed to the foot of the stairs when Rick yelled down for them to stay put.

"Rick, is it Daryl?" Jo yelled.

"Who the fuck's down there?" a gruff voice asked.

"A whole team," Rick responded. "We've been looking for him. He's been missing for four days. He's part of our family."

"Rick!" Jo yelled again.

"Tell them all to get rid of their weapons," the voice said.

"Drop your weapons everyone," Rick yelled down the stairs.

"Oh fuck this," Jo mumbled. She pushed past Glenn and Tyreese and ran up the stairs two at a time. The sight that greeted her made her both overjoyed and alarmed. Daryl was on his knees with a gun to the back of his head. The gun and gruff voice belonged to a huge man with narrow, squinty eyes and a large graying beard. "Daryl!" she yelled, but Rick put out an arm to stop her when she tried to run to him.

"Pretty little thing you got there," the man said.

"We just want our man," Rick said. "What do you want from us?"

The man spat on the floor next to Daryl and laughed. "I wanted no one to ever find my place, but that's gone to shit, so I'll just take all your weapons instead."

"Here, fine," Jo said, tossing her pistol toward him. "Please, just let him go."

"The thing is, there's no way I can trust you guys to not report my whereabouts to that military camp," the man said.

"Why the fuck would we report you?" Daryl asked.

"Because you're his little errand boys now," the man said, pushing the muzzle of his gun hard into the back of Daryl's head. "I've made a point to stay away from the military. I'm fine on my own. I don't need anyone and I don't want any trouble."

"We aren't going to say a word. We have no reason to. Right now, we don't even trust the men in that camp," Rick said. "If we can get out of this without a fight, we'd be very appreciative."

The man laughed again. "I trust no one."

"Well, you're clearly outnumbered here," Rick stated. "Your best bet is to let us go." As Rick finished his sentence, Michonne crept from the bathroom behind the gruff man. She'd soundlessly climbed through the window from the roof when the commotion began. "Let us go and you won't get hurt."

"I think I'd rather take my chances," the man said. He cocked his rifle and aimed it at the back of Daryl's head again. He smiled an evil smile. A floorboard creaked behind him as Michonne moved to make the kill. The man turned clumsily, raising his gun, but not in time. The katana sliced through the rifle and the man's face in one clean swipe. His body fell with a thump next to Daryl.

Jo ran to Daryl, grabbing his tired face in her hands and kissing him. "I was so worried," she said through tears. She kissed his cheeks, his nose, his forehead. "Don't ever do that to me again."

Daryl sighed, too tired to speak. Rick untied his hands. "How long have you been here? What happened?"

"Since yesterday. I've barely eaten. Dunno how far I can make it," he said.

Rick supported Daryl on one arm and Jo took the other, helping him down the stairs. "We're gonna get you home," Rick said. Daryl's head hung as he lost consciousness.


	14. Chapter 14

Tyreese took the weight of Daryl from Jo as they descended the stairs. Daryl's feet dragged behind him, but he was still breathing lightly. The group followed the trio outside and began the long walk back to the vehicles. Jo occupied her worried mind by scouting ahead with Michonne and Andrea.

"We need to hurry. We're gonna lose the light," Andrea mentioned as she wiped blood off her knife and kicked the dead walker she just killed.

"They're moving as fast as they can," Jo said. They stopped to allow Rick and Tyreese to catch up. Daryl looked pale. Jo had never seen him look so frail, not even after Andrea shot him. That seemed like ages ago. They were differently people then.

"Keep moving. We can keep up," Rick said to them.

Jo raced ahead. She heard shuffling to her left and spotted a walker in a soldier's uniform. As she approached she recognized one of Daryl's hunting companions. She didn't even know his name. He turned toward her as she vaulted off a rock and stabbed him in the eye.

"Holy shit, Jo," Glenn said in amazement.

"I did track in high school," she said.

They kept moving as night crept upon them, slowing them down. They had no problem taking down the few walkers they encountered, which was lucky considering the amount they saw trapped on the beach of the river.

"We're almost there," Michonne called back to them. "Just a few more yards."

Jo ambled back to Daryl. His eyes were open and he was walking slowly with Rick and Tyreese's help. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"Been better," he responded.

"There's water and some food in the jeep. Almost there," Rick said.

They made it to the jeep and helped Daryl into the back of the first one. Jo sat beside and helped him take a drink of water.

"I'm just so tired," he said.

"Then sleep." She moved his head onto her shoulder. His eyes fluttered shut and his hand found hers. He intertwined his fingers with hers, making her smile. She couldn't remember the last time he was this dependent, if ever. She hated what he went through, but she liked the idea of taking care of him. She felt like she was finally giving something back to him after all that he had given her.

The drive back to the camp was anxiety packed. She could hear Glenn and Rick talking in whispers about what they should do about the major.

"I just don't know if we should stay if our people are risking their asses and the major isn't gonna do anything about it if something happens," Rick said.

"I know. But it's so safe. And with Judith and Hershel, don't you think the camp is better than traveling on our own?" Glenn responded.

"Yeah, I know. I guess we'll just have to continue to watch our own backs there and not worry about taking care of the others," Rick said.

The jeep slowed as it approached the main gate. Rick leaned out the window to wave at the guard stationed above the wall, and the gates opened for them. The major was standing on the other side and followed the jeeps to their parking spots. He looked inside the first jeep and a grimace swept over his features when he saw Daryl.

"What happened?" he asked Rick as he stepped out of the driver's seat.

"Not 100 percent sure, but Daryl is the only one who survived. He was being held hostage by a guy in a cabin. We had to take him down to get Daryl out alive," Rick said, brushing a hand through his hair.

Jo helped Daryl out of the back seat, draping his arm over her shoulder. Major Rice noticed her struggling and reached out to help. "I got him," she snapped. Major Rice recoiled and Jo and Daryl slowly began to walk toward the medical building.

Major Rice turned back to Rick, who was now joined by Tyreese and Glenn. "We lost all four men we sent with him?"

"Looks like it. That was always a possibility," Rick said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't send anyone. Sure am glad you guys found your man."

"Without much help from you," Glenn said.

"Listen," Rick began, "we thought about leavin' because we don't like living with people who are fine putting our family in danger but won't lift a finger to help find them, but this is the safest place for my baby and our group. But I will no longer allow anyone from my group to put their lives in danger for this camp. We will take care of ourselves and you can take care of everyone else."

The major only nodded with a look of sorrow in his eyes. The group headed back to the barracks. Carl met them in the hallway holding Judith.

"Did you find him?" Carl asked, as Rick picked up Judith. Hershel and Carol came out of the next room, worry written all over their faces.

"Yeah, we found him. He's severely dehydrated. Jo took him to medical," Rick said, cooing at Judith.

"Thank God," Carol said.

"Some guy was holding him hostage. Looks like the soldiers who went with him all got attacked by walkers, but Daryl made it out only to stumble upon some asshole's cabin," Glenn said. "We got him out though."

"How's Jo doin'?" Hershel asked.

"She's alright. She's with Daryl," Maggie said, hugging Beth.

* * *

After arguing with the nurse at medical, Jo and Daryl walked back to their room hours later. The nurse insisted that Daryl stay overnight to be given fluids and monitored, but Jo wasn't going to spend one more night without him. Plus, she didn't trust any of these people anymore.

"Damn, woman, I don't think I've ever heard you cuss that much," Daryl said as they left the medical building.

"These people can all shove it," she said. "I was so worried about you and that fucking major refused to send a rescue team. I'm done with them all."

"That's what I've been feelin' all along," he said. "We've always been better on our own."

"I know. But it's actually safe here. And with the baby and Hershel…"

"They haven't kicked us out yet. Let's just stick to takin' care of ourselves," he said, opening their bedroom door for her.

"Fine by me. Now get to bed right now," Jo said, pointing at the bed.

"Yes ma'am," Daryl responded, with arms raised.

"And don't ever scare me like that again."


	15. Chapter 15

Days following Daryl's rescue showed a lot of change. Everyone at the camp seemed to avoid the group, even the soldiers. It was like they had the plague and were quarantined. Major Rice called a meeting with the entire group a week later.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," Major Rice said as he stood. "I'm sure you've noticed the rest of the camp has been somewhat avoiding you and I will say that was under my orders. We are fine with having you stay, but we do not feel the rest of the camp should mingle with you. That being said, if you plan to go hunting or need to find supplies, you will need to OK it with me beforehand. We want those gates closed as much as possible. I'm also asking Carol and Jo to discontinue their involvement with the school activities."

Jo grimaced. She knew it was coming. "Don't you think that will hurt the children? The nursery kids are so comfortable with me," Jo argued.

"They'll get by," the major said. "I appreciate everything your group has done for the camp, and because you have done so much, I will share some news with you that will be announced tonight." The major paused. "We've been in contact with other military camps throughout the south and east coast. We've been able to formulate a plan to combine forces. It sounds like Fort Bragg in North Carolina has successfully rid an entire city of the diseased. They're currently scouting the surrounding areas to clear those as well, like we've been doing here. They have more supplies and more personnel. We're working to plan a mass move of our camp to Fort Bragg. If your group comes along, I may need to call on you for help."

The group was in shock. Never did they believe an entire city would be rid of the diseased. Never did they think they would have an opportunity to actually move on from this horrible event.

"We'll let you know. Thank you for sharing this with us," Rick said.

"Do you really think it's possible?" Carol asked as they left.

"I mean, we've done a pretty good job around here. If they have more personnel and a better stocked arsenal, I don't see why not," Rick said.

"Will we go?" Hershel asked.

The question hung in the air like wet laundry. Would moving be the best thing for the group? Did the opportunity outweigh the dangers?

"We need to go somewhere. The food is almost gone here," Daryl said. "Livin' in another military camp sounds fuckin' terrible though."

"If they have a whole city cleared out and protected we could live in homes again," Carol said. "It would almost be normal."

"That's a big 'if,'" Rick said. "We'll need to discuss this. Weigh the pros and cons. And see if we can get any more information about Fort Bragg."

The group divided into their rooms, everyone talking to their roommates about the possibilities. Jo closed their door and sighed.

"What is it?" Daryl asked, unbuttoning his shirt.

"I want normalcy so badly, but what does that even mean nowadays?" she asked.

"I dunno, babe. I just want us all to be safe. I hate to agree with the major, but going to Fort Bragg might be our best bet."

"I'm surprised," she said, moving to the bed to take off her shoes. "I thought you would be totally against it."

"Yeah, but you don't go hunting with me. There's nothin' out there. We can only survive on canned beans for so long."

Jo nodded. "You know what I miss?"

"What?" Daryl asked, lying on the bed next to her.

"Candy. Can you go hunt down some candy for me?"

Daryl let out a snort. "You would miss candy."

Jo lay down, facing him, laughing. "Of course I miss candy! Chocolate, caramel, Skittles… oh man, the things I would do to a Snickers bar right now…"

Daryl lifted his head off the bed, smiling. "The things you would do to a Snickers bar?! How about the things you would do to me?" He grabbed her waist, pulling her under him.

She laughed. "Sir, I can't even speak of the things I'd do to you." She reached up and pulled his head down toward hers. Kissing him softly, she rolled on top of him. He took her blouse off and smiled. They didn't make it to dinner that night.

* * *

The news of the move had the whole camp giddy with excitement and hope. Preparations started to be made immediately after the news was announced. Large military trucks were moved to the front of the compound and were filled with supplies, weapons and ammunition. The civilians were told to pack only necessities and to be ready to leave in a week.

Rick called a meeting to decide whether the group should go or stay.

"We all know this has been difficult for us," Rick began, "but we need to think of what will benefit the entire group. We've survived this far together."

"I hate that Major Rice didn't help us find Daryl… that was super shitty, but I think going to Fort Bragg is our best option right now," Glenn said.

"But what if the military leaders there are even worse? This could easily be Woodbury all over again," Andrea said.

"But what if they are close to ridding the world of this disease?" Carol asked. "Don't we want to be somewhere protected and somewhere that can begin to rebuild?"

"No matter what, we have to think about Judith and Carl and Hershel. What's best for them?" Jo said. "We have a baby in our group. It's been so much easier taking care of her here than at the prison. And we haven't had to worry about Carl or Hershel since we got here."

Everyone paused to look at Rick and Daryl.

"I think we should go," Daryl said. "My two big things are keeping this group fed and safe. We can barely find food here."

Rick nodded. "Does everyone agree?"

People murmured their approval.

"What if it is bad there? Like Woodbury? Think we'll have another chance to leave?" Michonne piped up from the back of the group.

Rick shook his head. "I dunno. That's a chance we'll have to take."

Michonne scowled and walked away.


	16. Chapter 16

The group rose early the day of the move. They had a small, quiet breakfast together in the common room while watching the soldiers check and re-check supplies. An air of anxiety surrounded the camp citizens. Whispers of the dangers outside of Fort McPherson had been drifting through the room all week. Although many families were hesitant to leave safety, the whole camp was making the trek. As Jo ate the last scoop of her oatmeal, Major Rice's voice came over the intercom.

"All citizens please report to the front gate with your belongings. We'll be loading up the military vehicles and leaving at zero-seven hundred," he said. As the intercom clicked off, the common room began to clear out.

The group went back to the barracks to check their supplies before heading to the gate. Jo's heart was beating audibly inside her chest. She let out a slow breath and swung her backpack over her shoulder.

"You alright?" Daryl asked.

"Just nervous. Movin' this many people at once… anything could happen. My stomach is swimmin' with butterflies," she said. As Jo bent over to pick up a duffle bag, she was overwhelmed with nausea. "Whoa." She dropped the bag and sat on the edge of the desk.

"Babe, you ok?" Daryl asked as he rushed to her side, placing the back of his hand on her forehead.

"Yeah, just nauseas. I haven't been feelin' myself the past few days. I'm just nervous is all," she said, standing slowly.

"Stay here. I'll take the bags to the front. Drink some water," Daryl said, handing her a bottle of water. He grabbed her bags and made his way to the door, looking back at her before leaving. He hadn't said anything, but he'd noticed how off she'd been the past few days. She was barely eating and always worrying her lip. He hoped this trip wasn't a bad idea.

Daryl made his way out of the barracks with Rick and Glenn. Rick immediately noticed Daryl's furrowed brow. "What's goin' on?" he asked.

The sound of Rick's voice pulled Daryl out of his worried thoughts. "Nothin'. Jo isn't feelin' well. She's worryin' up a storm."

Glenn smirked. "So is Maggie. They'll be fine once we get on the road."

The loading area was busy with citizens. Sergeant Adams was organizing the groups by vehicles, making sure to keep families together.

"Hey Rick," the sergeant said. "We've got your group near the back of the parade, if that's OK. We figured we could use your skills, if necessary, back there."

Rick nodded. "As long as we're all together."

Sergeant Adams pointed to the third to the last vehicle in the procession. It was followed by two smaller, more maneuverable jeeps. Rick, Daryl and Glenn positioned their baggage carefully. Bags with clothing were pushed to the back, while backpacks with food, ammunition and weapons were placed under seats and near the exit off the back of the truck.

The rest of the group joined them as the open area of the camp quickly filled with citizens. Major Rice stepped up into the back of a truck with a megaphone.

"Thank you all for cooperating. I know this is a scary thing to do, but it will be for the best. I was in contact over the walkie talkie with Fort Bragg this morning. They're ready for us. We don't have enough room in all the vehicles for everyone. Please have the children inside the vehicles at all times, as well as any injured or sick. Those of you walking, please be careful. We're allowing you to have weapons, such as knives and bats just in case. I've instructed my men to only fire if absolutely necessary. The noise draws them as most of you know. Fort Bragg is about six hours away from us, but we're guessing it will take almost all day. If you need any help, ask a soldier near you. We'll make frequent bathroom and rest stops. Please be careful. Thank you all for your cooperation."

He jumped off the truck and the soldiers began helping citizens into the vehicles. Major Rice made his way to Rick. "I hope I can trust your group to help keep the procession secure?"

"We'll keep the people near us secure. I don't want to wander from my group," Rick said.

"Of course. Thank you," Major Rice said, nodding and moving to speak with a soldier.

"He cuts us out from the camp and then expects us to protect them?" Daryl asked.

"You need to protect us and that's it," Rick responded. "We know what's out there. Everyone, be alert. We'll take shifts during the move so the same people aren't on their feet all day. If you're getting tired, speak up. Let's make this a safe trip."

Everyone nodded and murmured their understanding. Rick and Daryl helped Hershel into the vehicle, followed by Carol, who was holding Judith. Daryl grabbed Jo by the waist to help her when she protested.

"I can walk," she said, turning around.

"After you almost got sick this morning? I don't think so," Daryl said.

Jo glared at him. "I'm fine. Just nervous."

Daryl sighed. "Don't fight with me on this," he said sternly. "I want you in that truck."

Maggie stepped into the truck with Glenn's help and looked over at Jo. "Just do it. We'll relieve them at the first stop," she said.

Jo reluctantly climbed into the truck as Daryl yelled "Thank you."

"Give them some piece of mind until this trip is at least off and running," Maggie said. "You been feelin' sick?"

Jo nodded. "Just the past week or so. I'm fine. It's just been a couple crazy weeks is all."

Carol looked up from feeding Judith with her brow furrowed. "You sure everything is alright?"

Jo shrugged. "Yeah, I'm alright." She turned to look around the cloth covering of the back of the military vehicle. A soldier opened the gates and the convoy began to move out. "Daryl," she hollered. He jogged over to her, lightly touching her leg. "Be careful, OK?"

He smiled. "Always." He patted her on the leg and began walking alongside the now moving vehicle.

The journey was slow. The route had been scouted and re-scouted before the camp left, but with soldiers and citizens walking alongside through the back roads, it would take them a whole day to get to Fort Bragg. Jo tried to get comfortable, but she felt every bump in the road, which didn't help her stomach.

"You doin' alright, Jo?" Hershel asked as he looked over at her pale face.

"Yeah, I think I'm getting motion sickness though. These trucks are terrible," she responded, taking a drink of water.

Hershel patted her knee. "Hang in there, kid. One hour down, the rest of the day to go," he joked.

Jo folded a jacket behind her head and began to nod off. She awoke when the vehicle stopped. She jumped out of the truck and stretched her arms into the air. She was feeling a bit better, which was a relief. She smiled as Daryl walked up to her.

"How far along are we?" she asked.

"A few hours. You get some sleep?"

"Yeah, a little. When do you think we'll make it to Fort Bragg?"

"At this pace, next week," he said. Jo laughed. "Nah, we'll be there by dinner, I'd guess."

"Nice. I think I might walk a bit. My legs are cramped and that truck gave me motion sickness."

Daryl nodded, a concerned look on his face.

The convoy started back up 10 minutes later. Jo enjoyed the walking much more than sitting in that stuffy truck. She walked next to Carl, joking about the amount of food they were each going to eat when they arrived at Fort Bragg.

"I'm not joking, I'm so hungry. There better be a feast waiting for us," Jo said.

"What if they have hamburgers?!" Carl said excitedly.

"If they have hamburgers, I'll eat like seven. With bacon." They continued walking down the two-lane road surrounded by woods on both sides. Jo looked into the sky, spotting a hawk soaring high above them. She pointed it out to Carl. "Check it ou—"

She was cut off by a scream. Jo whipped her head in the direction it came from and saw commotion ahead of them. Rick and Daryl stood in front of them. "What happened? Is it a walker?" Maggie asked as she jumped out with a gun in her hand, followed by Andrea.

They could hear yelling and then the soldiers relayed a message. "It was just one walker. Stay calm. No one was bit."

"Jesus," Glenn said, "we're a traveling buffet right now."

Soldiers fanned out into the surrounding areas to check for more walkers. Michonne approached from the right side of the convoy with her katana drawn. She walked stealthily into the woods after the soldiers, ignoring Rick's call for her to stay.

The air was filled with panicked whispers. Jo went to the back of the truck to retrieve her gun. She checked the ammo. As she turned back toward the group, gunshots rang out in the woods, followed by screams.

"Fuck," Daryl yelled. "Walkers!"

A herd of walkers emerged from the woods to the left of the convoy. Those on the ground began running, making it difficult to stay together or aim at targets. Jo shoved a pistol into Carl's hand. "Don't shoot civilians. Be careful."

The first few walkers were shot easily, but with the confusion and panic, many of the soldiers and armed civilians couldn't get clean shots off. Jo shot a walker feasting on an elderly woman. Her stomach turned as the walker collapsed into the opened stomach of the screaming woman.

Jo turned just in time to push a walker off her left side. Its eye was dangling out of its socket and it moaned as it came at her again. She gritted her teeth as she stuck the gun under its chin and pulled the trigger. She spit on the ground and wiped the blood and sweat from her face. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her as more walkers emerged from the woods. Gunshots and screams blended into one as Jo's vision began to blur. She backed up and tripped over a body. People were fleeing all around her as she leaned to her left and puked. A walker fell in front of her. It clawed toward her with one arm, its jaws biting the air. Jo tried to back up, kicking at the decomposed face at her feet. Just as it reached for her leg, a bullet ripped through its head. Jo looked up to see Carl standing behind her. He grabbed her hand and led her behind one of the military vehicles, where other civilians were hiding.

Screams pierced the air as the crew tried to fend off the last of the herd. Jo climbed onto the hood of a truck and pulled Carl up with her. From there, they could see the horror. Dead walkers and humans littered the road. Gun shots popped off from their right. They saw soldiers taking down the last of the walkers in the front of the convoy. Jo aimed at a civilian that had died and reanimated. It was a girl she recognized from helping at the nursery. She shot her between the eyes.

"Oh no," Carl yelled, terror in his voice.

Jo looked to the left where Carl was pointing just in time to see Daryl put an arrow through Allen's head. Daryl pulled the arrow out, cussing to himself. He spotted Jo and Carl on the truck and walked toward them, casually stabbing another walker in the eye.

"You two OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, Jo got sick, but we're alright," Carl responded.

"Just stay there for a minute." Daryl joined Rick, who was speaking with Major Rice and a group of soldiers. The scene was devastating. The scenario everyone was terrified of had happened. The road was littered with bodies, many that Jo recognized from the camp. The cries of children and weeping adults filled Jo's eardrums as she sat on the hood of the truck. She stared at the body of Sergeant Adams just a few feet from them. His throat had been ripped out. She stared at the congealing blood and intestines, feeling the color drain from her face. She leaned over the side of the truck and puked again. Her insides were churning as she wiped her mouth and jumped off the hood of the truck. Daryl approached and grabbed her arm to steady her.

"Did we lose anyone?" Jo asked.

"Allen," Daryl replied. "Major Rice wants to clear the road of the bodies before we leave. He wanted to bury them but we talked him outta it. We don't have time. We need to get outta here now."

Jo looked up at him, finally feeling stable enough to stand on her own. "Carl saved my ass out there. I got dizzy and sick and a walker was clawing its way toward me. I think there's something actually wrong with me," she said.

"You need rest. I need to get you to Fort Bragg."

Jo nodded her head and began to say something when a sharp pain stabbed through her abdomen. She bent over and let out a yell of pain. Daryl grasped her by the arms, worry all over his face. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Carol rushed over to her side.

"Oh God, it's my stomach. It hurts so bad." Jo gasped in pain.

Carol bent down to help her and gasped. "Oh, Jo…" she said.

Daryl looked from Jo to Carol. "What? What is it?"

Carol pointed to Jo's pants. A dark red stain had formed around Jo's privates.


	17. Chapter 17

Spotting the blood, the color fled from Jo's face. She took one hand from Daryl's arm and touched the wet spot, bringing her red-tipped fingers in front of her face. Her breathing came in quick gasps and sweat trickled down her temple.

"Daryl…" she mumbled, before her vision went black.

Daryl caught her as she fell forward, unconscious.

"Lay her in the back of the truck. I'll get Hershel," Carol said, removing her hand from Daryl's shoulder and sprinting in the direction she'd last seen the crippled man.

Daryl scooped Jo's limp body into his arms. Her breathing had evened out, but one glance at the stain on her pants proved she was still bleeding. He rounded the corner to the back of the nearest military truck and placed her down gently. He climbed up next to her, putting a jacket under her head. Hershel slowly came around the back of the truck a moment later with Carol and Maggie.

"What's wrong with her? What happened?" Daryl asked immediately. He helped Hershel into the back of the truck, struggling to get him situated.

"Let me take a look. Can you undo the canvas so I see?" Hershel asked, pointing to the cloth material covering the back of the vehicle. Carol and Maggie quickly began unhooking the canvas. The bright light made the scene more gruesome. There was no color to Jo's face. Her lips were ghost white and her breathing had slowed tremendously. The red stain between her legs was larger, glistening wet in the sunlight.

Daryl looked from Jo to Hershel. "Why is she bleeding, Hershel? She wasn't hurt." Hershel was checking her pulse and didn't answer.

Carol sat down to Jo's right and sighed. She had a knowing look on her face as she exchanged a glance with Maggie, who was on Jo's left.

"What?" Daryl asked again, looking at Carol this time.

Carol glanced at Hershel, who nodded, before she responded. "Daryl, I think…"

"You think what?" Daryl yelled. Tears were trickling down his cheeks. He couldn't stand the thought of losing Jo, not after all they'd been through. Especially not now, when they were heading to a safe, protected community free of walkers.

"Jo had a miscarriage, Daryl," Carol said, a tear sliding down her cheek.

Carol's answer was like a punch to the gut. He sat back on his haunches with a blank look on his face. "A mis… a miscarriage?" he questioned. "But, that would… that means… she was… pregnant…" The last words were almost a whisper as the realization hit him.

"I know this is hard, but we need to make sure she's OK," Hershel began. He placed a hand on Daryl's arm to snap him out of his surprised trance. "We need to get her fluids. I know the medical truck has an IV. I need to get her pants off to take a look, make sure there are no wounds."

"I'll get everything you need," Maggie said, jumping off the tail gate. She ran toward Glenn, Rick and Major Rice, who had no idea what was happening with Jo. "Major Rice, we need an IV for Jo," she said.

"Jo? What happened? Was she bit?" Rick asked craning his neck toward the vehicle she was in.

"No… she had a miscarriage. She's unconscious," Maggie responded.

"A miscarriage?" Glenn repeated, astonished. "I didn't know she was –"

Maggie cut him off. "No one knew, not even Jo. Major, do I have the OK to use what we need?"

Without hesitation the Major nodded his head and pointed toward a vehicle near the middle of the convoy. People were being treated for wounds all around it. Maggie jumped into the back of the vehicle without a word and began taking supplies.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" a soldier cleaning a citizen's wound asked.

"I have permission from Major Rice. Ask him." Maggie jumped out of the vehicle as quickly as she entered it and was gone. When she got back to the truck, Carol was standing watch.

"Hershel is checking her to make sure she's not wounded internally," Carol said.

Maggie rounded the corner. She handed her dad gloves, a flashlight and clean rags. Rick had come to check on the crisis. "Is she gonna be alright, Hershel?" he asked.

"So far, she looks alright except for losing the baby," he responded. "I'm gonna try to get a better look just to make sure. I'll need a little time."

"We're clearing bodies and treating any of those who aren't fatally wounded. It'll be a bit," Rick responded. He looked at Daryl, who hadn't moved from his spot next to Hershel. His face was void of emotion except the tears openly streaming down his cheeks. "Daryl, she's gonna be alright." Daryl nodded without looking at Rick. Rick patted Carol on the shoulder and made sure everyone else was busy to give them some privacy.

As Hershel put gloves on and began cleaning around Jo's thighs, Maggie swabbed and inserted a drip line into Jo's arm. She hooked the fluid onto a hook on the truck and helped Hershel check out Jo's condition. Hershel bent Jo's legs and used the flashlight to get a better look. The bleeding had almost completely stopped, which was a good sign.

Daryl leaned up and sat on one of the benches. He put his head in his hands. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that Jo had been pregnant. She had a baby in her belly… his baby, and neither of them had any idea. How would they get through this? He was absolutely devastated. How would she feel?

Hershel sat up, covering Jo's bottom half with a nearby blanket. Daryl lifted his head slowly and looked at the older man. "She's gonna be fine. She'll probably be wakin' up soon. She needs rest. Make sure she lays the whole rest of the way. I'll stay with you if you want me to," Hershel said. "I'd like to be here to keep an eye on her."

Daryl nodded. Maggie helped Hershel out of the truck and handed him his crutches. "What am I 'sposed to do?" Daryl rasped.

Hershel turned toward him. Carol and Maggie both had frowns on their faces, but it was Carol who spoke up. "You should be the one to tell her, but I can travel with you the rest of the way to comfort her. I had three miscarriages before I had Sophia," she said.

Maggie's eyebrows raised and she put a reassuring hand on Carol's shoulder. All Daryl could do was nod. "I'll find her some clean clothes," Maggie said. She came back a few minutes later with clean underwear, pants and towels to clean up the blood. Daryl dressed Jo after they cleaned up the blood as best as they could. As he leaned back against the benches, Jo began to stir.

Daryl's heart was racing. How was he going to tell her she just lost a baby she didn't even know she was carrying? She'd talked about having his little redneck babies before, was she serious? Would this break her? He leaned close and held her hand. Jo's eyes fluttered open. She blinked four times before she could focus on the canvas above her. She didn't know where she was. She furrowed her brow and felt a hand squeeze hers.

"Jo?"

She turned her head to the right and saw Daryl next to her, leaning close. His eyes were red and puffy. She tried to reach up to touch his face, but her arm movement was restrained by something. She looked to the left and saw a needle in her arm. She gasped and looked around frantically.

"Jo, calm down. You're OK," Daryl said, holding her arm down.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to sit up. Daryl put his arm behind her back and helped her up.

"Babe, I don't know how to tell you this…"

Jo remembered the walkers and getting sick, but what happened after that? She looked into her lap. She wasn't wearing those pants when they left this morning. She looked up at Daryl, her brow furrowed.

"Jo, you started bleeding. You remember the pain?" She nodded, putting her hand over her abdomen. "Babe, you were pregnant. You had a... you had a miscarriage."

Jo sucked in a short breath, her thumb rubbing across her abdomen. Her head was spinning. "Wha… what do you mean I was…"

"That's why you were so sick, I guess," Daryl said. "There's no way we coulda known, Jo."

"No." Jo looked down at her stomach and back up at Daryl. "No. No. No. No." The tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over almost instantly. She was sobbing in seconds as Daryl held her to his chest. Tears slid from his eyes and fell into Jo's hair. He rocked her back and forth.

"We're gonna be OK, Jo. It's gonna be OK."


	18. Chapter 18

**OK, guys, this chapter isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it's necessary. I'll update as soon as I can! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites! xoxo**

The convoy was set back almost two hours and lost 32 people because of the walkers. Those who survived moved the bodies and redistributed supplies while Daryl attempted to comfort a shocked Jo.

Rick rounded the back of the vehicle and found the two sitting on floor of the truck, leaning against the bench seat. Daryl's hand lay on Jo's leg. He was lightly rubbing her thigh, and Jo was staring at her hands folded in her lap. The tears had stopped, but they hadn't spoken since.

"We're about to head out. Are you OK to go?" Rick asked.

Daryl looked up and nodded. "I'll be right back, Jo." He kissed her temple, stepped over her and walked with Rick away from the truck.

"How is she?" Rick asked, concern straining his voice.

Daryl shook his head, rubbing his hand over his brow. "I don't know. She was hysterical. She cried and cried and now she won't say nothin'," he said, kicking a bloodstained shoe on the ground.

"Just stay with her. She'll get through it," Rick said. "She's strong."

Daryl nodded. "Thing is, I don't know how I'll get through it."

Rick looked at Daryl in surprise.

"I mean, I will… I'll do what I gotta do, but she was carrying my baby, Rick, and we didn't even know." Daryl paced back and forth with his hands on his hips.

"I know, Daryl. But where we're headed, they're will be more medical staff, it'll be safer. It could be a home," Rick said.

"It better fuckin' be or this trip just cost me a baby and that can't be paid back," Daryl spat. He turned and quickly hopped into the back of the vehicle.

Rick shook his head and jogged toward Carol. "Will you ride with Daryl and Jo?"

"Of course. I was planning to," Carol said. "Are they doing OK?"

"It's hard to say. They need all the support we can give them." Rick patted her arm and told Major Rice everyone was ready to head out.

Carol and Hershel joined Jo and Daryl in the back of the truck. Hershel quietly checked Jo's vitals as the engine started up. The noise brought Jo out of her trance. She looked up at Hershel and Carol as the truck began to move.

"How are you feeling?" Hershel asked, leaning away from Jo and using his arms to sit on the bench opposite her.

Jo shrugged. She looked out the back of the truck at the military personnel walking alongside the convoy. She felt completely empty. Her chest felt hollow and all she could think of was the baby she unknowingly had in her belly. If they lived in a different time, if the world hadn't gone to shit, she would have known she was pregnant and she would have been able to take care of herself and that baby. But they didn't live in that world and she couldn't take care of herself. She was barely alive. Would she ever be more than this empty shell? Would she ever accomplish the things in her life she had always wanted - getting married, having babies, build a house? She couldn't see it. She didn't believe anything that good would happen to her, not in this world.

"Jo?" She looked back at Hershel and Carol. "Jo, I know this is hard," Carol said, leaning forward. "There is nothing anyone can say that will make it better. All you can do is believe it was fate."

Jo parted her lips, taking in a shaky breath. Daryl squeezed her leg encouragingly. Jo licked her lips, looking from Carol to Daryl's hand and back to Carol. "How do you know…?"

Carol sighed. "Before I had Sophia, Ed and I had been trying for years. I lost three babies before my angel was born. It's the hardest thing I've ever been through… but I got through all of them. You can get through this too."

Jo nodded and rested her head on Daryl's shoulder. Daryl put his arm around Jo and mouthed "Thank you" to Carol. A meek smile crossed Carol's lips before they all relaxed.

* * *

Jo's eyes fluttered open. Daryl was gently shaking her awake. It was dark and her body ached. She lifted her head off his shoulder as everyone around her prepared to exit the truck.

"Where are we?" Jo asked groggily.

"We're here. We made it to Fort Bragg," Daryl said, helping her up. Daryl jumped out the back of the truck and lifted Jo out by her waist. He slung his crossbow over his shoulder and carried their duffel bags in both hands.

"I can't believe we made it," Jo said, reaching out to take a duffel bag. Daryl pulled it away from her.

"I got it." She crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed.

Major Rice was speaking with someone who looked to be his Fort Bragg counterpart while the new military personnel were leading the survivors to sleeping quarters. Fort Bragg was much bigger than Fort McPherson and even though it was night, Jo could see. She looked up at large floodlights, illuminating the whole grounds.

"Must have generators or somethin'," Daryl said, following her gaze. A soldier led the group through a courtyard surrounded by multiple large, brick buildings. The courtyard was swarming with soldiers and civilians being directed to their new resting quarters. A civilian walking passed the group bumped into Jo's shoulder as the group took in their surroundings.

"Hey, man, watch where the hell you're walkin'," Daryl yelled, pushing the man away from Jo.

The confused man mumbled an apology.

"You're so good at making friends, Daryl," Maggie said sarcastically.

"The hell do I need friends for?"

Maggie smirked and looked at Jo. She had an overwhelmed and worried expression on her face. "You OK, Jo?"

Jo's head shot around at the sound of her name. She nodded. "Tired."

The soldier opened the door to one of the barracks in the right corner of the courtyard and showed them to several empty rooms. "We have three rooms available for your group. Showers are upstairs, but we ask you to please take short showers only when necessary. We'll have a meeting tomorrow. Happy to have you all here." The soldier smiled politely and left.

"You and Maggie wanna bunk with us?" Daryl asked Glenn, motioning toward the room on the end.

Glenn raised a surprised eyebrow. "Yeah, sure."

Maggie and Glenn followed Jo and Daryl into the room. Two full-sized beds were on opposites sides of the room, with dressers, nightstands, desks and chairs for each side. Glenn and Maggie unloaded their bags on the bed, talking quietly to themselves.

Jo lay on the bed, curling into a ball. Daryl looked at her back and hung his head. He leaned his crossbow on the wall and sat down on the bed with his back to Jo. Leaning his arms on his knees, he put his head in his hands feeling completely defeated.

Maggie and Glenn silently turned off the lamp on their side of the room. Glenn gave Daryl and friendly pat on the shoulder before lying in bed. Daryl kicked off his boots and slid his pants off. He checked the door lock and turned off the lamp. As he crawled into bed, he heard Jo's muffled sniffles. Daryl lifted the blanket, covering her shivering frame and pulled her toward him. She tensed as his arm locked around her, but she let out a breath and eased her muscles.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Why are you sorry?" Daryl asked, confused.

"I don't want this to ruin us, but I'm so sad, Daryl," she whispered.

"I am too, babe. I'm torn up about this. But my concern now is making sure you're OK," he whispered into her hair.

Jo wiped the tears from her eyes and linked her arm with Daryl's, holding onto it. She sighed. "I hope I'm not broken."

Daryl let out a laugh. "You're not broken, woman. Go to sleep."

She kissed his arm and sighed again before almost immediately drifting into a deep sleep.

"Please, don't push me away," Daryl whispered to her before shutting his eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

After taking Jo to the medical wing first thing the next morning, Daryl joined the group in the cafeteria, where the rest of Fort McPherson gathered to be debriefed. Major Rice stood in the front of the large room with the same military personnel he was speaking with the night before. After a moment, the room quieted down.

"Welcome, everyone," said a tall, balding man next to Major Rice. His arms were crossed behind his back as he stood at attention. "I, along with the military personnel and civilians, are excited and relieved to have your group join us at Fort Bragg. My name is Col. Daniel Schwartz with the United States Army. We secured Fort Bragg early on, but were not able to get a signal out to other military bases until recently. As you know, this virus has proved to be the worst epidemic in history. There is no known cure, but we have successfully cleared the area of Fayetteville, where we are now. We send out search teams every day to take out any walkers, search for survivors and secure supplies. Currently, we are working to completely secure the surrounding town. Once we accomplish that, we'll be able to move into the town. Until then, please feel comfortable to roam the base, use the facilities and make yourselves at home. We ask that anyone with useful skills to help with any of our activities. We can use all the help we can get. Thank you."

Major Rice made his way to the group with Col. Schwartz following his speech. Daryl stood at one end of the table with his foot perched on the bench. He took a bite out of an apple as Rice stopped at the other end next to Rick.

"Rick, I wanted to personally introduce you and your group to Col. Schwartz," Major Rice said.

Rick stood and shook hands with the colonel. "Rick Grimes. Thanks for… uh… takin' us in," he said hesitantly.

"I hear your group has been through a lot," Col. Schwartz said. "We're happy to have survivors like you with us."

"Yeah, I'm sure ya are," Daryl muttered, taking another loud bite of apple.

Col. Schwartz glanced at him before looking over the group. "Major Rice also told me many of you are very skilled in hunting and tracking and many of you helped in the school at McPherson."

Daryl scoffed. "Did he tell ya he left me for dead after I went on a huntin' trip for the whole camp? And did he tell ya he banned Carol and Jo from the school after this group risked their ass to come find me when the military 'protecting' us didn't? I ain't riskin' my ass for anyone other than these people," he said, pointing to the table.

Everyone's silence made it clear they were with Daryl.

Col. Schwartz nodded. "I completely understand." Major Rice frowned and departed with the colonel.

Carol turned toward Daryl. "How's Jo doing?"

"OK. She's gettin' checked out in medical right now. Kinda lost it on the way there this mornin'." Daryl sighed and tossed his apple core in the trash. "I'm gonna go check on her."

Carol gave him a meek smile as he walked out the doors.

He stalked across the courtyard, yanking a leaf from a tree and tearing it to pieces before throwing the stem on the ground and entering the medical wing. This building was the only one running fully on generators. They were allowed to have all the lights and energy they needed. Daryl felt the air conditioning on his skin and smiled. He turned the corner and bumped into a nurse exiting Jo's room.

"Oh, excuse me, Mr. Dixon. I'm Olivia. I've been taking care of Jo. She's sleeping right now and I'd advise allowing her to sleep for a few hours. She's exhausted," she said with a concerned look on her face. "What we can tell, she was only a few weeks along when she lost the baby. It was due to stress, nothing else. She's distraught and I'm sure you are too. Just talk to each other, be there for each other and you'll get through this." Olivia smiled reassuringly and patted him on the arm before walking toward the nurse's station.

Daryl let out a breath before walking into Jo's room. She lay on her side, her back toward him. An IV connected to her left arm drip, drip, dripping fluid. He walked to the end of the hospital bed and watched her body slightly move with her breathing. "We're gonna be OK," he whispered more to himself than to her. He pulled the chair up to her bed, placing his feet on the bed and reclining in the chair.

* * *

Rick walked to the courtyard holding Judith in his arms. The sun was high in the sky and a light breeze rustled his hair. He shaded his eyes looking for Carl and Beth. He spotted the two sitting near the middle of the courtyard, laughing and throwing grass at each other.

"Hey you two," Rick said, kneeling down to sit next to them.

"Hey Dad, isn't it great here?" Carl asked excitedly.

Rick looked around at the people in the courtyard. It actually felt like a normal day at a park before all the madness had begun. The group had been at Fort Bragg for about a week – it was still hard to keep track of the days. After what happened at McPherson, the whole group had been hesitant to interact with the new camp or get involved in anyway. That was hard for Rick. All he wanted to do was jump in and help with securing the town. How could they expect to stay if they didn't help?

"Yeah, it feels almost normal, doesn't it?" Rick said, laying Judith on her back and tickling her. The baby smiled and let out a giggle. A smile spread across Rick's lips and he knew what he needed to do – spend more time with his children. Carl was growing up before his eyes, and the way he handled himself, heck he was almost a man grown. Judith was only going to be a baby for a minute longer before she would be a toddler and then Carl's age. He had to live in the moment while he could. He leaned over and rubbed Carl's head, smiling.


	20. Chapter 20

Jo sat under a tree with a fresh notebook cracked open on her lap. She kicked her boots off, stretching her toes and running her feet through the cool grass. She licked her lips and leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes. She thought of her father, her brothers, moving away, and then her bloodstained pants flashed through her mind. Her eyes shot open and she gasped. Her hand flew to her heart. She felt it beating profusely through her chest. _My baby, I lost my baby, _she thought. She ripped the cap off the pen and began writing.

_I never thought I wanted children. Never ever did I want that responsibility. Look at what Mom did… she left. It's in my blood to leave too. I left Dad and Alex and Charlie, only to come back too late. How could I ever imagine taking care of an innocent child's life? Maybe I was just never in the right situation or right relationship… that's for sure… but I just never saw it in the cards for me._

_And then I met Daryl._

_The world went to shit and my whole family died and I fell in love. How fucked is that? I tried to withdraw. I tried to push him away. I tried to convince myself that I just missed Dad, that those things I was feeling weren't real. But they were real, and for some reason Daryl felt them too. And at first he pushed them away and put on his brusque demeanor, and I appreciated that because that meant I could brush it off too. We'd slept together and then both pretended we hated each other eight hours later. It worked. And then it didn't. We worked and then we didn't. Once we got to the prison, he tried and tried and tried and wouldn't give up. Something in him changed. I think it was Judith being born, maybe. He saw something in that sweet face and that made him not want to give up on me. And I'm so glad he didn't. _

_I remember one of the first times I fed Judith, I looked down at her and up at Daryl and thought about our babies – what they'd look like, whose personality they'd have – and I liked the thought. Ever since then, I've thought maybe I could be a mother. I knew it was insane to think about bringing a baby into this world, but when we got to Fort McPherson, I honestly kinda thought maybe we could. We were protected and had privacy. It could have been a home… and then we moved. I was sick. So sick. I knew something was up the whole week… heck two weeks before the move, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want to worry anyone. But I knew in the back of my mind that I was pregnant and I went on that rescue mission to save Daryl anyway. I thought to myself, 'If I am pregnant, I'm not bringing this baby up alone.' And we got him, and I felt a little better. _

_But once we were preparing to move, I started feeling sick again. The stress was too much and I felt awful, but I kept going, trying not to let anyone see. I wanted to make it to Fort Bragg. I knew they'd have some sort of medical service and they'd be able to help me, get me healthy. So I still didn't tell, because I wasn't 100 percent sure. Then those damn walkers came and the stress… It's my fault I didn't tell anyone. If I had, I would have been cared for. It's my fault._

_I killed my baby._

Jo looked up to see Daryl approaching. He handed her an apple and sat next to her beneath the tree. "Watcha writin'?" he asked.

"Just thoughts. It helps," she said, closing the notebook and pushing it under her leg.

Daryl nodded. He knew she was still having a hard time, but she was doing so much better than he expected. She wasn't pushing him away or secluding herself from the group, at least not too much.

"I think Carol is going to start helping with the school once the town is secured. You should too… if you're up for it," Daryl suggested.

She shook her head and looked at her knees. "I… uh… don't think I'm up for that just yet."

"Yeah, I understand babe." Daryl stood up, helping Jo to her feet. The sun was setting, blasting the sky in oranges and pinks. He pulled her into a hug and could feel her tense up. He pulled back, looking into her eyes. "I love you."

She swallowed a lump in her throat, keeping the tears at bay. _I killed our baby._ "I love you too," she whispered. He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled back. She looked to the ground, unable to stop the tears and letting out a soft sob. Daryl pulled her face up to his with his hand under her chin. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I just can't."

"It's OK, Jo. I'm sorry too. It's gonna be OK." He hugged her again, and this time Jo latched on, still crying.

* * *

Sirens rang through the halls, and lights flashed across the courtyard. Everyone tumbled out of bed and into the hallway, clumsily pulling on clothing and shoes.

"The fuck's goin' on?" Daryl yelled over the siren.

"What should we do?" Carol yelled.

Rick looked up and down the hall, watching people run from their rooms in disarray. "Let's follow everyone. Looks like they're going to the rec hall," Rick said, motioning with his gun. Carl ran ahead of him holding Judith and the group fell in line, securing their weapons. The courtyard was in complete chaos. Daryl grabbed a soldier and asked him where they should go.

"The rec hall. We're assemblin' there." Daryl nodded and let go of his collar.

"Assembling for what?" Glenn asked rhetorically.

The group waded through the groups of confused people and into the hall. Major Rice was standing on a chair trying to quiet the group down.

"Listen everyone, we need to plan this as soon as possible. Our perimeters have been breeched," he said. Gasps and cries were heard in the audience. "Not by walkers. We've been breeched by the living. A group of insurgents has been giving us trouble in the surrounding towns. They've been looting and killing their way toward us."

Daryl's eyes narrowed and he exchanged a glance with Rick.

"We know for a fact two got over our walls tonight and could be anywhere within the camp. We are asking you all to stay here until we can root them out. Please stay calm and do as you are told." Major Rice jumped off the chair and waded through the large group of people.

Daryl cut him off. "You need our help?" The last thing Daryl wanted to do was leave Jo, but we also didn't want some asshole getting his hands on her either.

Major Rice looked relieved. He nodded. "Follow me."

The whole group followed him to the front of the camp. Soldiers ran here and there and orders were being shouted over the sirens. "They jumped the wall at the back of the camp, over there," he said, pointing to the wall behind the medical wing. "They're probably here to steal supplies, but they could easily be here to start more trouble. We need more eyes on the wall and someone tracking around it. Can I trust you to do that?"

"Of course, Major. Daryl's the best tracker around. Him and Tyreese can take to tracking the wall. Glenn and Maggie are both great shots. You can use them on the wall. Michonne and Andrea are best on the ground, put them where you need them. I'll watch the wall too," Rick yelled back to him.

"Great, I'll inform Col. Schwartz. If anyone gives you trouble, tell them to report to me. You better have the rest of the group get back to the rec hall," Major Rice yelled, patting Rick on the shoulder.

Rick turned to Hershel and Carol. "Get everyone back to the rec hall," he said, mussing up Carl's hair.

Daryl kissed a frowning Jo on the temple. "Don't worry, babe. Just a couple of jerks we gotta take care of and we'll be fine."

She pulled him into a tight hug before turning, lightly pushing Beth forward. She turned back to look at Daryl, seeing him bound for the back wall. Her brow furrowed. Why would anyone break into the camp just for supplies? How was that worth the risk? She watched Daryl disappear into the shadows. She heard Carol call her name and she jogged to catch up with them.

The rec hall was unbearable. Everyone was talking at once and every child in the room was crying, including Judith. Jo felt like her head might explode. They found a corner where Hershel could sit and tried to collect themselves. Hershel began lowering himself to the ground, but stopped abruptly. He looked from Carl to Carol to Sasha and back to Carl. His eyes were as big as saucers as he frantically looked around the group.

"Hershel, what is it?" Carol asked.

"Beth… where's Beth?"

Across the courtyard and over the wall, Beth let out a muffled scream as she was bound, gagged and dragged into the woods.


	21. Chapter 21

It all happened so fast. One moment Beth was walking toward the rec building and the next moment a grimy hand was over her mouth and she was pulled into the darkness between two buildings. With all the commotion and noise, no one had noticed the two men pulling her into the darkness. She tried desperately to scream or escape, but her captors threatened her in low voices and placed a gun to her back.

"Make one sound and I'll blow a hole clear through ya," a man's deep voice growled. Him and his accomplice rushed her through the courtyard, being sure to stay in the shadows.

"We don't wanna go to the back wall," said the accomplice, a big man with hands the size of boulders. "I saw that guy with the crossbow go that way."

Beth whimpered, hoping Daryl would swoop in and save her.

"Shut up," the first man said, wiping dirty blond hair from his eyes. "Come on, let's go this way." He motioned for the back corner of the camp. "That's where Stan and Duke came in."

The two pushed Beth forward, ducking behind a truck when three soldiers ran by. The big guy lifted Beth up by her shirt when she struggled to stand up and pushed her forward. They made it to the wall and the first man used Boulder hands to boost him over the wall, then Beth was all but tossed over, landing on her left shoulder. She let out a yelp, which was followed by a boot to the ribs.

"I said don't make a sound! Jax, pick her up. I think she busted her arm." Boulder hands lifted Beth off the ground easily and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"We need to tie her up and gag her, Lou," Jax said.

They ran a few yards, making it into some brush and stopped. The sirens could still be heard from Fort Bragg. Beth sobbed as Jax threw her to the ground and pulled rope off his shoulder. He tied her hands behind her back and Lou tied a bandana around her mouth, muffling a scream. Jax picked her back up and the duo began running again.

Beth lost all sense of direction and time as she bounced to the beat of Jax's long strides. She'd stopped crying, but her mind was racing with images of her future. What were these men's intentions? Where were they taking her? Would they kill her? Hold her hostage? Rape her? She squeezed her eyes shut at the last thought, that one being the worst.

The two captors slowed to a walk and stopped. Jax threw Beth to the ground. Rolling onto her side, she saw a man joining the group, which had stopped next to a parked and hidden car.

"Where the fuck's Stan?" Lou asked, straining his voice.

"The fuckin' idiot got cornered. He was trying to snatch some broad. I told him you two were gettin' a hostage. The moron wouldn't listen, so I left him," retorted the newcomer. He spit on the ground, barely missing Beth's face. Grime covered him from head to toe.

"Goddammit, Duke! They'll interrogate him! If he rats on us, that's on you, brother," Lou yelled, stabbing a finger into Duke's bulky chest.

Duke slapped Lou's finger away and aggressively got in his face. "Fuck you, man. You're the idiot who brought Stan along. This is on you!"

Lou pushed the bigger man away, but with the size difference, Duke barely budged. "Fuck you, dude. Let's just get this pretty little thing to Rafe." Duke lifted Beth off the ground by her injured arm. She let out a squeal of pain, mumbled by the gag. "Shut the hell up, bitch." Beth could smell Duke's rank breath as he inspected her. "Rafe likes blonds. Nice job."

"I thought we were snatching someone for leverage," Jax said, as Duke opened the trunk of the car. He lifted her up, pausing to stare into her terrified eyes. Tears slid down her cheeks, wetting the bandana at her mouth. Duke smiled and dumped her into the trunk. Beth tried to scream before he slammed it closed.

"You don't think he'll want to play with her just a little?" Duke asked, rounding the car and getting in the driver's seat. Jax shrugged and got in back as Lou stepped into the passenger seat. Beth kicked and screamed in the trunk of the car as it moved out of the foliage and onto the road. Duke chuckled, turning the music up to cover the sound of the young girl's fight for life.

* * *

Jo ran out of the rec hall as soon as they realized Beth was gone. She hoped they had just been separated, but she knew in her gut that Beth was taken. Jo had a feeling these "insurgents" that broke into the camp weren't here just for supplies, like Major Rice said. They had a beef with the military and they had a plan to get what they wanted.

The grounds were almost bare as Jo vaulted down the steps of the building. The siren was still sounding as she ran to the main gate, ignoring a soldier's command to get back to the rec hall. She entered the main area and stopped, searching for Major Rice and Col. Schwartz. She spotted the two men huddled near a vehicle, Col. Schwartz yelling into a walkie.

"Colonel!" Jo yelled as she ran over to them, moving to the right to avoid a soldier.

"Jo? What are you doing here? You should be in the rec hall with the rest of the civilians. It isn't safe," Major Rice said.

Jo brushed past him, ignoring his statement. "Colonel, Beth is missing. She was right there and then she was gone. Whoever those men are, they had to of taken her," Jo said.

Col. Schwartz lowered the walkie from his lips. "Shit."

That one word affirmed Jo's fears. These men were here for more than supplies and Beth was a piece in their game now. "She's only 14. We have to go after her!"

"Jo! What 'er you doin' out here?" Daryl yelled as he approached. Jo's head snapped around at the sound of his voice. She moved toward him swiftly, pulling him into a hug. Daryl's arms hesitated in mid-air, caught off guard by Jo's sudden affection – especially after how she'd been treating him since they arrived.

She pushed away after a moment, looking into his blue eyes. "Beth is gone," she said. "Those men took her."

Anger flashed across Daryl's face instantly. He moved around Jo and advanced on Major Rice and Col. Schwartz. "Yer a buncha fuckin' liars!" he bellowed, pointing in their direction. "Sayin' these guys were here just for fuckin' supplies! You knew they were here to start trouble. You knew they'd take someone! And they took a fuckin' innocent teenage girl? You better have a god damn plan," he yelled.

Rick, Tyreese, Glenn and Maggie joined the group, confused by the confrontation. "What's goin' on?" Rick asked, hooking his thumb in his belt loop. The two military personnel stood silent as they waited for someone in the group to give the news to Maggie. Daryl opened his mouth to report it, but Jo put a hand on his shoulder. She moved in front of him, raising her eyes to meet Maggie's.

"Maggie, we have some bad news," Jo started.

Glenn let out a bated breath and Maggie began shaking her head. "What happened? Did Dad get hurt?"

Jo shook her head. "No, no. It's Beth."

Maggie sucked in a sharp breath and Rick ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Rice and Schwartz.

"The men who breeched the wall took her, that's the only thing that could have happened. We were walking back to the rec hall and one minute she was there and next she wasn't," Jo explained. "By the time we realized it in all the commotion, she was gone."

Tears jumped out of Maggie's big, brown eyes as Glenn pulled her into a hug. Jo turned her attention back to Col. Schwartz, as did Rick, Tyreese and Daryl.

"So what do ya plan on doin'?" Daryl asked. "I hope you know a little more about this group than you let on."

Col. Schwartz nodded. "We do. Let's take this in my office," he began, before a soldier ran up to the group.

"Colonel," he began, pausing to catch his breath. "We caught one of the men near the back of the rec hall. He had ahold of a woman."

Hope surged through Jo at the news. This horrible being could give them all the information they needed to find Beth. Rick nodded at Col. Schwartz. "We'd like to be present during questioning," he stated.

Col. Schwartz nodded, walking solemnly toward the building. The sirens finally died down and silence overtook the camp. Jo followed Glenn and Maggie back to the barracks, her head bowed and thoughts amiss. _Will we ever catch a break?_ she thought to herself. _Will there ever be a feeling of normalcy again?_


	22. Chapter 22

Blood dripped down the man's chin as he lay on the floor. Still tied to the wooden chair in the basement of the armory, the nameless man couldn't move. He spit a broken tooth covered in blood out of his mouth and let out a laugh.

"That all you got, kid?" he asked the young soldier. The soldier grabbed the chair and lifted the man up as Col. Schwartz, Daryl and Rick entered the adjoining room, watching through a two-way mirror.

"Where is your base camp?" the soldier yelled.

"Suck my dick." Another punch assailed the man's face. His eye was swelling and blood trickled from a cut above his eyebrow.

"This is going well," Rick murmured sarcastically.

Col. Schwartz entered the room, motioning for the soldier to leave. Rick and Daryl watched as the colonel pulled a chair next to the man and sat down. The man's left eye was swollen shut now, forcing him to turn his torso awkwardly to see the colonel.

"Who the hell are you?" the man asked. His short-cropped brown hair was crusted with dirt and blood and his clothes were torn and dirty.

Col. Schwartz leaned close to the man, placing his elbows on his knees. "I'm not gonna waste my time beating you up," he said. "You're gonna tell me what the hell you were doin' here and where you took that girl and you'll live."

"And if I don't you're gonna kill me?" the man asked mockingly.

"If you don't, I'm gonna starve ya, then sit ya outside our walls tied to this same chair and give the dead an easy meal." The colonel's voice was stern and brutal. Daryl and Rick exchanged an uneasy glance. "Starvin' is a painful thing. I'm guessin' gettin' eatin' alive is even worse."

Worry flashed across the man's face, but he recovered quickly. "Thought you guys cleared this place out of biters? Yer bluffin'."

"Holder, bring 'em in," Col. Schwartz shouted. Daryl and Rick immediately looked at the door through the two-way mirror. It opened quickly and the decomposing body of a walker lunged in, being led by an animal control stick.

A horrified yell leapt out of the man's throat as the colonel turned him toward the starving walker. He lifted his legs in an attempt to push the walker away from him. "No, get away. You can't do this!" the man yelled, trying desperately to scoot away, only to be pushed forward by Col. Schwartz. The walker snarled and bit the air at the man, waving its arms in mad movements to get to him.

"Man, he's hungry, ain't he?" Col. Schwartz said, knocking the chair to the ground.

The man struggled as the walker was allowed to get closer by the soldier wielding it. Tears were streaming down his face and he finally yelled, "Alright, I'll tell ya whatever ya wanna know!"

The colonel nodded and the soldier stabbed the walker in the back of the head, dragging its limp body out of the room.

"Jesus," Daryl said. "The military sure is different now."

Rick knocked on the window and the colonel motioned for them to come in. Daryl leaned against the wall, staring at the man with his arms crossed, while Rick pulled up the only empty chair and sat next to Col. Schwartz.

"We'll start with your name," Col. Schwartz said.

The man looked from Daryl to Rick and back to the colonel before answering. "Stan," he mumbled through chapped and bloodied lips.

"Stan, how 'bout you tell us where your group is?" Col. Schwartz asked.

"And why the hell they took a teenage girl," Daryl spat.

Stan looked at Daryl, "Rafe likes 'em young," he said.

"The fuck's Rafe?" Daryl asked, leaning off the wall in anger at his disturbing answer.

"He's our leader. Brought us all together. At first we were just survivin', but the bigger our group grew, the nastier it got. It was all men, mostly from this bar crew that I was a part of. We looted and hurt outsiders to get what we needed – food, water, booze, medicine – but then some of the guys started doin' other things…" Stan trailed off.

"Like what?" Rick asked calmly.

"We came across this small group stayin' in a church. It was just an old man, his wife and their daughter and granddaughter. Rafe made the old man watch while he killed his wife and raped his daughter," Stan responded. "After that, he gave the guys the OK to scout out women as long as they brought them back to him first. He wouldn't rape all of them, he has his type, but he'd let the others do what they wanted."

Daryl let out a growl. "What the fuck!" he yelled. "Where the hell are they? Where did they take Beth?"

The colonel lifted his hand to quiet Daryl. Daryl swiped at the air near the colonel's hand, cussing under his breath.

"That what this is about? They took one of yours?" Stan asked.

"Fuck yeah it is, now tell us where they're at so we can kill 'em all," Daryl responded.

Stan shook his head. "There's too many. No way you can do that. Your girl is as good as dead."

This time Rick lost his temper. He grabbed Stan by the collar, pulling him within centimeters of his face. "You're gonna tell us everything about your camp and those men and you're gonna do it now," he spat. Rick let go of the man, the sound of the chair hitting the cement floor echoing through the small room.

"I think it'd be best for you to do as these men say, or your biter food," Col. Schwartz said.

* * *

The air was damp and musky. Beth shivered, pulling her arms closer to her chest. Her stomach ached as her muscles tensed. The only light that could be seen was from the crack under the door. She held her breath every time footsteps stomped passed. The zip ties around her wrists and ankles chafed her skin as she struggled to move. A single tear fell down her cheek as she thought about her dad and Maggie. She heard footsteps coming down the hall and lifted her head off the cold wall. The heavy steps stopped outside the door and it opened quickly. The light blasted the large man from behind, making him just a silhouette.

"It's your lucky day," the man, whose name she learned was Duke, said. "Time to meet the boss." He lifted her up by her good arm and cut her ankle tie, leading her out of the dark room and into the hallway.

Beth squinted her eyes from the light and allowed Duke to lead her down the dirty hallway. A narrow set of stairs led up to a thick wood door. Duke opened it into a large open living room and connected kitchen. A few men sat around the table, eating what looked to be soup. They grinned and pointed at the blond when Duke pushed her into the room.

"Takin' her to see Rafe?" a bearded man asked as soup dribbled down his chin.

Duke nodded, letting out a low laugh. "She's just his type, ain't she?"

"Ten bucks says she's a virgin," another man hooted.

"Get ready, babe. Boss is gonna have fun with you," said Lou, one of the men who abducted her.

Duke pushed her toward another set of stairs. Beth looked over her shoulder at the group of men who were now taking bets on whether she'd be a screamer. She tripped on the first stair, catching herself with her bonded her wrists. "Come on, bitch. Pick up your feet," Duke said, lifting her off the stairs easily and shoving her upstairs. The door at the top of the stairs was ajar and Duke lightly knocked before being called in.

Beth was pushed over the threshold. Candles illuminated the room and a medium-sized, beefy man stood by the window. His brown hair grazed his shoulders, which were wrapped in a red flannel shirt he was almost bursting out of. He turned at the sound of their entry and smiled, holding a glass of red wine in his left hand.

"Ahh, Beth," he said. "Well, aren't you beautiful."

Beth let out a soft sob as the door closed behind her and the man stepped toward her.


	23. Chapter 23

Glenn rushed into the hallway when he heard the faint sounds of Rick and Daryl entering the barracks. Hershel and Maggie sat on the bed silently staring at the white walls.

"Did you find out where she is?" he asked immediately. "What are we doing?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, the guy told us everything – where they are, about how many and what they're capable of."

"So…" Glenn continued.

Rick and Daryl walked into the room where everyone had congregated. He looked sorrowfully at Maggie and Hershel as they looked to him with red-rimmed eyes. "The guy they captured spilled everything. These insurgents came over the wall with the intent to take a woman. There's a group of about 45 men camped on the outskirts of a neighboring town. I guess these guys are gruesome… they've been ransacking camps – stealing whatever they want, including women," Rick said.

A noise escaped Hershel's lips as tears welled up in his eyes. His lower lip shook as he looked at Rick. Maggie threw her arm around his shoulder, trying to be the strong one.

"I'm sorry. I know this is hard, but I want you all to know exactly what we're dealing with here," Rick continued. "This group has a leader named Rafe. Beth was taken for him. I guess he has a whole ceremony he goes through with new girls, so we have a very small window to work with in order to save her… and we have full military support this time." Rick glanced at Daryl.

"Bout damn time," Daryl said. He took a step toward Hershel and Maggie. "We're gonna get your girl back. Don't worry."

Jo lifted her body off the wall in the back of the room. She was worried about Beth, but she was worried about the group too. She was still healing from her miscarriage and Daryl had barely slept an entire night since they arrived. "Please don't take this the wrong way," she said to Hershel and Maggie, "but should everyone go?" she asked as she turned toward the whole group. "We've all just barely healed from everything we've been through and if we have the entire military support, maybe we should let them handle it?"

Daryl raised his eyebrow and looked at her. "No fuckin' way," he said, raising his voice and surprising Jo. "I don't care if we have the whole fuckin' military. I still don't trust 'em. We need to go and make sure Beth gets out safely." He looked away from her with a look of disappointment.

Rick interjected, "We want someone she's familiar with to be there for her. She's gotta be scared enough as it is. I know all we keep doing is putting ourselves in danger over and over again," Rick said, latching on to Jo's concerns, "but there are so many 'what ifs' that I'd feel much more comfortable being there to get it done and get Beth back to us."

Jo nodded. "I understand," she said, glancing at Daryl. "I'm just worried about you guys."

Rick nodded. "Col. Schwartz will be debriefing everyone going in an hour. I would like a few to stay behind and keep things in order here. But everyone who wants to go, please come." He walked out of the room to attend to Judith. Daryl shot a glance at Jo before shaking his head walking out.

Jo jogged out the door after him. "Daryl," she called down the hallway. Somehow he'd already made it to the door leading to the courtyard. He paused at the door before pushing it open and walking out. Jo sighed and followed him. "Daryl!" She yelled louder this time. "Daryl Dixon, stop!" She stopped halfway to him as he turned to face her. His hands were balled up in fists and he had a blank look on his face. "Daryl, don't you understand?"

He spit on the ground and walked toward her, stopping a few feet away. "Understand what? That you don't care about anybody but yourself anymore?"

Jo jerked her head back as if he'd thrown a punch at her. "How could you say that? All I care about are our people. That's exactly the reason why I'm tired of seeing everyone jump into danger head first. We've lost so much already…" she trailed off. Her hand stopped on her stomach absentmindedly.

Daryl glanced down at her hand and back to her face. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Stop actin' like you care about anybody. Stop actin' like you still care about me. Ever since you lost that baby that you didn't even know you were pregnant with you've pushed me away. Again. I'm gonna help Beth cuz it's the right thing to do. You can do whatever you want. Like you've been doin'." He turned on his heel and began to stomp away.

"I knew," she said loud enough for him to hear. She looked up from the ground as he turned to face her again.

"What?" he asked, a look of disbelief slowly morphing to anger forming on his face. He marched toward her again, getting closer this time.

"I knew I was pregnant. Well, I didn't know 100 percent… I hadn't taken a test or anything… but I had a feeling," she said, wrapping her arms around her chest protectively.

"You knew you were pregnant with my baby and you didn't think I should know about it?" Daryl yelled, pointing at her belly.

"It was right when you went missing and then we were moving the whole camp. I didn't want to worry you," Jo said, tears rising in her eyes. "I never thought what happened… would happen."

"You had no right to keep that from me!" he yelled. His voice echoed through the courtyard, causing people to stop and stare at the usually quiet couple. "We would have kept you safe and healthy! This never would have happened!"

"I know. I know."

"No, you don't know," he continued, pointing his finger at her. She could feel his hot breath on her face as tears openly fell off her cheekbones. "You're the reason our baby died. Your selfishness is the reason my baby died. How could you do that, Jo?" Tears were spilling out of Daryl's eyes now too. His hand dropped to his side, a look of defeat on his face.

"You don't think I already think that about myself? That I killed our baby?" she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I know it means little to you, but I'm sorry. And I still love you."

He shook his head. "I can't… I just can't." He walked away, leaving Jo alone in the early morning sun.


	24. Chapter 24

**I'm back! Sorry it took so long for an update! I've been busy! I hope this chapter makes sense. I started it right after last chapter was posted and just finished it today! Hope you like it. I really like Beth's character and wanted to bring her into the "spotlight" a little more :)**

The caravan left at dusk. Jo sat on the stairs leading to the main check-in building, watching the trucks pass through the gate. She hadn't seen, let alone talked, to Daryl all day. He was avoiding her, and rightfully so. She knew this day would come – the day when she'd have to tell him she had known about the baby – she just wished it hadn't been today, when he was heading straight into danger. Now, instead of having a clear head, he was furious at her, and somehow probably himself. She caught a glimpse of him in the back of the last truck sitting on the open tailgate with Rick and Glenn. Her heart leapt and caught in her throat at the site of him. His crossbow lay on his lap and he stared at the pavement passing below him. He looked up and caught site of her, and to her disappointment, he glared at her before looking away as the gate closed behind him.

Jo stared at her hands, fighting the tears from spilling out. She messed up and she knew it. She may have lost Daryl forever and she wouldn't blame him for it. It was her fault. He was right, she was selfish and she deserved whatever happened next. She looked up as Carol slowly sat next to her on the steps. Jo wiped the tears from her eyes and attempted a meek smile.

"I know how much you're hurtin' right now," Carol began, "and I know you understand what keepin' that secret from Daryl means. I don't blame you… that's a scary thing to be going through for the first time. He's steamin' mad right now, but he'll come back around… as long as you want him to." Carol patted her knee and stood.

"Thank you," Jo murmured as she stood. She put her arms around her awkwardly and Carol rested one hand on the back of Jo's head. Jo laid her head on Carol's shoulder, crying.

"Shhh. It's gonna be OK," Carol said. "It's gonna be OK."

After a moment, Jo raised her head from Carol's shoulder and wiped her eyes. Taking Carol's hand in hers, the two women walked back to the barracks. Both were silently praying for their group members to make it back safely with Beth in one piece.

* * *

Rafe crossed the small room in three slow steps, stopping in front of Beth, who had pushed her back against the door. Although Rafe was short in stature compared to the other men, he was still a few inches taller than the scared teenager. Rafe smiled down at her, brushing a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. She flinched at his touch.

"Tsk, tsk. Don't be scared," he said. "What have those idiots been sayin' to you?" he asked.

Beth met his eyes, but didn't respond. The man smiled again, showing wine-stained, crooked teeth. His breath smelled like alcohol and onions. Beth's stomach churned with nervousness as he stood over her.

"Come here," he said, taking her hand gently in his and leading her to the bed in the middle of the room. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands in her lap, looking at the floor. Rafe finished the rest of his wine in one gulp and placed the empty glass on the dresser nearby. He raised her head with his hand. "You're mighty pretty. How old are you?"

"Seventeen," she whispered.

"Seventeen? That's a good age." He dropped his hand from her chin and pulled up a chair to sit across from her. "What do you like to do? Got any hobbies?"

"Why am I here?" she snapped. She didn't want to play his games.

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I like new friends," he said calmly.

"New friends? If you're gonna rape me, just do it. Why the hell are you draggin' it out?"

His right hand lashed out and slapped her hard in the face. Beth let out a high-pitched scream and her left hand covered her throbbing cheek. "A young lady should never curse at a man," he said. "Treat a man with respect. Do as he says and mind your manners. I won't have an ill-tempered little bitch walking around here. You hear me?" His voice changed from calm and soothing to venomous in an instant.

Beth's eyes were wide with fear as she nodded. "Horses," she said. "I like riding horses."

Rafe smiled and nodded. "You seem like a farm girl. I like that. Anything else?"

Beth shrugged. "Readin', I guess. And being with my family," she said, tears coming to her eyes.

Rafe reached a hand to her face. "Hey now, girl. Don't cry. I'm your family now, you hear me?" She could hear the slight venom in his voice again. She took a deep breath and held back her tears. "Good girl. You want something to eat? Drink? I'll have the boys bring up a nice dinner."

Rafe stood and hollered down the stairs. A moment later, Duke appeared in the doorway. "Duke, bring us up some food and bring more wine and a glass for Beth," Rafe ordered. Duke was gone as quickly as he appeared.

"Sir, I'm not old enough to drink," Beth said.

Rafe laughed. "Honey, I don't think the legal drinking age matters anymore."

Beth allowed a weak smile. She had to keep this man happy or things would turn violent. She could already tell that. "I guess you're right."

Duke returned not long after with a bottle of red wine and a glass for Beth. He placed the bottle and glass on the dresser next to Rafe's empty glass, allowing him to pour the alcohol. Duke shook Rafe's hand and smiled a sly smile at Beth before departing.

Beth's heart was racing. It had been the whole time. Why was he dragging this out? Why wasn't it over with already? This was some kind of sick game for Rafe and all the men here, it had to be. She looked at the closed door as Rafe poured the drinks. She weighed the idea of running for it in her mind. Even if she made it out of the bedroom, there's no way she'd get past all the men in the living room. If she somehow did, she'd be out in the middle of nowhere, just fresh walker bait. It was pointless.

"I propose a toast," Rafe said, turning toward her with the two glasses, handing her one, "to new friends!"

Beth clanked her glass with his and took a sip of the wine. It tasted fruity, but bitter, not like the church wine she was used to. Rafe took a long taste and smiled as he swallowed it.

"Ah, there's nothing like a glass of pinot to end a day," he said. "Do you like it?"

Beth nodded. "It's good."

Once dinner arrived, Beth felt slightly light-headed from the wine. She'd never drank before, but was scared if she didn't drink it, Rafe would hit her again or do something worse. They sat at a small table with a candle for light in the middle of them. They ate thick stew with hard bread and more wine.

"I don't want you to be scared of me or this place, Beth," Rafe said after dipping his bread in the stew. "I have a camp full of men, and men get mean if there's no women around. I can't say what I decided to do was the Christian thing, but it's made living here a lot better, for both the men and women."

Beth furrowed her brow. "I didn't see any women downstairs. Where are the others?"

Rafe pointed outside to a large garage. Beth saw two men walking to the garage with flashlights and guns. "You see, men have certain needs. I know you're young, but I bet you had a boyfriend before all this happened," he said.

Beth nodded, thinking of Jimmy.

"So you understand that in order to keep my men happy and not lashing out at each other, we had to do something in order to keep them occupied."

Beth's eyes widened. "So you kidnapped women for them to have sex with?"

Rafe's nostrils flared. "Beth, I thought we were understandin' each other. I don't like the word 'kidnap' and let's be honest, these women want it as much as the men do."

Beth's mouth hung open in shock, but she quickly changed her expression. Rafe set down his glass in annoyance and stood up. Darkness had completely overtaken the room except for the small amount of flickering light from the candles.

"This is how the world is now. I don't need to explain the ways of the world to you, girl. This is the hand we were dealt, and you're here now, so wipe that expression off your face," Rafe said, filling her glass once more.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. She let the wine sit in the glass on the table. Her mind felt jumbled and slow. She didn't like what the alcohol was doing to her. She wondered if her family had realized she was gone, and if they were going to come after her. She looked out the window as Rafe walked to the bathroom, closing the door.

As she stared out into the darkness, something caught her eye. She looked closer into the woods surrounding the area and saw another gleam of light bounce off metal. She stood, looking to see if any of Rafe's men were patrolling, when she saw an arrow fly through the air. Seconds later, a large man fell to the ground. _An Arrow? That means Daryl._ Beth looked back to the woods, and saw him. Daryl had his back to a tree with his crossbow in his hands, and he was looking right at her. Daryl put his finger to his lips and fell back into the shadows.

The bathroom door opened and Rafe's looming shape filled the doorway. She glanced at him and slowly moved away from the window, trying not to give away her rescue team. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry for what I said," she said.

Rafe smiled. "It's OK, girl. I know you're scared." He walked toward her, unbuttoning his flannel shirt. As he reached her, the distinct sound of automatic gunshots rang out over the compound. Rafe looked from her to the window. "You bitch." He threw her to the ground and yelled for Duke to bring his weapons.


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry it's been so long! This chapter isn't anything phenomenal either. I've been crazy busy and kind of had writers block. If you have any suggestions where I should go in the next chapters or what you want me to delve into... please send me a message!**

Beth hit the ground hard, shattering the glass of red wine as she did so. Gunshots rang out in every direction, never ceasing for more than a few seconds. Rafe was on his knees next to her, checking his handgun and yelling to the three men who entered the room. Beth pushed off the floor, cutting her hand on the shattered glass as she tried to jump over the bed for the door. One of the men grabbed her leg and pulled her across the bed toward him.

"Get back here, little miss," Duke growled. He yanked her off the bed, securing one arm around her chest.

Rafe turned toward her, his face centimeters from hers. "That your rescue team out there?" he asked. "Let's take ya to 'em then." Rafe led the way down the stairs as gunshots continued to tear through the air. He was yelling instructions at his men as they scrambled for more ammunition. Bullets broke through windows and sunk into the wood of the cabin all around them. Four men lay on the floor, shot multiple times, either dead or dying. Duke pushed Beth to the floor and she scrambled behind a chair for protection.

Rafe grabbed Beth by the hair and walked to the front door, ripping it open without a second's hesitation. The gunfire ceased almost immediately.

"You here for your girl?" he yelled. Beth could hear men moaning from injuries. She wondered how long it would be before walkers were all over them. Rafe push Beth out the door, holding onto her ponytail. "You think you all can just come in here, shoot the place up and leave with my prize?" Rafe asked Beth's saviors. She could feel her pulse pounding in her veins as Rafe pushed her further outside. Duke followed closely behind her. "We're just men tryin' ta survive out here. Just because you're military you think you can take back what now belongs to me? I don't think so."

"We just want Beth back safely," Rick's familiar voice yelled out from the woods to their left. A few gunshots and yells could be heard deeper in the woods.

"Biters, I betcha," Duke murmured.

"Well, we want to live our lives without the military tellin' us how to do it. We're doin' just fine without ya," Rafe yelled.

Rafe pushed Beth to her knees. She began to sob with a gun barrel pressed to the back of her head. Why weren't they doing anything? Why weren't they killing them?

"Good bye, sweetheart," Rafe whispered. "It's been nice know – "

A scream ripped through the air from Beth's right. She turned quickly, seeing a one-armed walker ripping into Duke's neck. Blood splattered down onto Beth as she began to crawl away. Rafe turned toward her, walking slowly. "Where are all your friends?" he asked, raising his gun. Beth was flat on her back staring into the barrel of his gun wondering the same thing when a single shot rang out. Rafe dropped backward and Beth quickly grabbed his gun and stood over him. There was movement all around her as men appeared from the woods. Beth stared down at her abductor as blood wept from a bullet wound in the center of his head. She could see his wine-stained teeth in the glow of the moonlight and she shot right through them, shattering his teeth into a million pieces.

Hands gripped her shoulders from behind and she was shaken from her stupor. Duke's screams were finally silenced and the walker was put down. Slightly forceful hands turned Beth around. Glenn's dark eyes looked into Beth's light blues. His hands cupped her face as tears cut through the blood stains on her cheeks. He pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back to calm her cries.

Military vehicles were driven onto the compound once the survivors were secured. Fourteen women were found in the large garage. They were all underfed and dehydrated. Some sported black eyes and bruises along their bodies. The rescue team ushered the women into the vehicles and drove them back to the camp for immediate attention. Beth refused to leave without Glenn, waiting for the team to head back as one.

Rick and Daryl helped tie up and bound the surviving members of Rafe's group. Lou, her kidnapper, was one of the survivors. His dirty blond hair covered his eyes and his nose was bleeding from where Daryl punched him. Beth walked up to him where he kneeled on the floor of the cabin. She could feel Glenn, Rick and Daryl's eyes on her as she kicked him in the chest. Lou let out a yell as he fell to the ground. A military officer approached to stop her, but Glenn grabbed his arm. "Let her be," Rick said.

Beth kicked Lou in the gut again, letting out an exasperated breath. "Please, miss, I was only following orders," he whined.

"Fuck you and your orders," she said, kicking him again. Beth pulled out the gun she'd taken from Rafe's dead hand and aimed it at Lou's head.

"Please, please. I'll do anything," Lou begged.

Beth squinted at him, still pointing the gun between his eyes, when Daryl walked up next to her.

"I wouldn't," he said softly. "His face will haunt you for the rest of your life." Daryl put his hand on the gun and slowly lowered it, taking the gun from her hands. Beth's body began to sag and Daryl caught her just before she hit the floor. "We need to get her out of here. Let's wrap this up."


	26. Chapter 26

Jo perched on the roof, her legs swinging limply over the edge of the two-story brick building. She watched dawn break over the trees and inhaled a slow, deep breath. She'd made her decision and it was time to act on it.

She swung her legs back onto the roof and climbed down the fire escape quickly. Her backpack was waiting on the ground where she'd left it hours ago. She swung the bag over her shoulders, glancing one last time at the front gate before making her way toward the woods. She waited for the watch to change before climbing over the wall, disappearing into the still darkness.

* * *

Daryl rubbed his eyes, refusing to fall asleep on the ride back to the base. His thoughts were disjointed and garbled. He looked at Beth, who was sleeping on Glenn's lap. Her frail frame was bruised and dirty, but she was all right. He glanced down at his hands with their rough callouses and cuts. He was calloused everywhere else too, right down to his heart. He knew how he spoke to Jo before he left was wrong. He regretted it immediately, but he was hurting worse than he ever had. It was worse than when she first blew him off after the camp outside of Atlanta was run over. She was just as broken as he was. Maybe it would be better if they stopped playing out this romance; if they stopped hurting each other.

The caravan pulled into the base and everyone began to groggily exit. The group walked toward their barracks as the door burst open and Maggie ran to her little sister.

"I'm so glad you're OK!" Maggie yelled, pulling Beth into a hug. Beth sobbed into her sisters T-shirt as Hershel hobbled up to them.

"Daddy," Beth mumbled, hugging the crying man. Maggie kissed Glenn and thanked the team for bringing her sister back safely.

"We should all get some shut eye," Rick said, and everyone followed into the barracks.

Daryl's brows furrowed as he stepped into an empty room. He flicked on the light, doing a quick sweep of the small room. His eyes landed on a folded piece of paper on their bed. He cursed under his breath and snatched the paper off the sheets. He recognized Jo's handwriting immediately.

_Daryl,_

_I'm sorry. I love you. Keep the group safe._

_Jo_

"Sonofabitch," Daryl yelled, crinkling the paper and running out of the room. Carol and Hershel were in the hallway at the sound of Daryl's yell.

"What is it?" Carol asked alarmed.

Daryl held up the crinkled paper. "Jo fucking left. She's gone. How could you guys just let her go?"

Carol's jaw dropped in shock. "Where did she go?"

"The fuck should I know? I wasn't here. Did she say anything?" Daryl yelled, as the rest of the group joined them in the hall.

"No. She was really upset about the way things happened with you and the baby news, but I thought she was going to work it out with you," Carol said, her voice shaking.

"Fuckin' shit. Where the fuck do we even start?" Daryl asked, running his hand through his hair. "We need to go now. There's no way she left at night. She maybe has an hour or so on us."

The exhausted group was murmuring to each other as Daryl and Rick exchanged glances. Rick raised his hand to quiet the group. "Daryl and I will go. The only way she coulda gotten out unnoticed is going over the back wall and straight into the woods. We'll find her," he said.

"Give me a minute," Daryl said, walking back into the room. He closed the door just as a sob escaped his lips. His back slid down the door and he uncrumpled the note in his hands. "God dammit, girl," he said as he read the note over and over. He didn't blame her for leaving. He was a complete fucking asshole and she was still hurting from the miscarriage. He had to find her and get her back. He needed her.

He tucked the paper into his pocket and wiped the tears off his cheeks before exiting the room. Rick was the only one left in the hallway. "You all right?" he asked, moving off the wall and walking down the hall with Daryl.

"We have to find her. She won't last long alone," Daryl responded, avoiding Rick's question. "She's a good shot, but she can't take on a group of 'em."

"We'll find her. Carol said Jo was up on the roof after we left. Let's start at the fire escape," Rick said. They pushed the door open and walked to the side of the building. Daryl squinted in the sunlight and bent down, eyeing the crushed grass below the ladder.

"Looks like something was sitting here for awhile," Daryl said, pointing to the area to the right of the ladder. "Probably her backpack. She went that way, toward the back wall." Daryl pointed at broken pieces of grass leading to the back of the base. He followed them to the wall, slinging his crossbow over his shoulders.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" a voice yelled from the look-out tower to the right.

"One of our group members is missing," Rick yelled as Daryl ignored the guard and climbed over the wall. "We're tracking them. Go ahead and tell Col. Schwartz, but we ain't stopping for permission."

"Come on!" Daryl yelled from the other side. Rick glanced at the guard before climbing over the wall and disappearing.

Daryl already found Jo's path by the time Rick jumped over the wall. He crouched low, eyeing a broken twig at the edge of the woods. "She went through here," he said, following the path.

Rick stayed close, keeping an eye out for the dead or the living while Daryl focused on following Jo's tracks deeper into the woods. The path stayed straight for about a mile before veering to the left.

"Looks like she's headed toward the water. I'm guessing that's a stream I hear," Daryl said, cursing. "She might be trying to lose us."

Rick's head shot up at the sound of moaning to their right. "We have company," he said, spotting the walker making its way toward them. He unsheathed his knife and ran toward the mangled monster, stabbing it clear through the eye. Rick turned around in time to see Daryl kick a decaying walker away before shooting it with his crossbow.

"Come on, she headed straight for the stream," Daryl said, ripping his arrow out of the walker's head.

The stream was about a half-hour walk and was deeper and wider than they expected. Daryl followed Jo's tracks to the edge of the stream, losing it in the water. "Fuck. I lost it. She could have gone anywhere," he said.

"All right, well she honestly can't be that far. Let's keep walking along the water and see if we can pick up the trail again," Rick said.

The pair walked side by side in silence scanning the banks for any sign of Jo. Daryl's eyes never left the banks, but as time passed his frustration and anxiety began to show. His hands were balled into fists and any twig or branch that got in his way received an angry swat. Just as Rick was contemplating turning around to search the other side of the bank, Daryl stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?" Rick asked.

Daryl bent down and picked up a torn piece of purple cloth. He inspected it thoroughly, even smelling it. "It's part of Jo's shirt. Smells like her." Daryl searched the ground, moving out ahead of Rick toward the edge of the bank about three feet above the stream. Daryl followed the footprints to the edge and looked down, spotting a familiar brunette washing her hands in the stream a few meters away.

Daryl jumped down to the bank, splashing in the water. Jo jumped in surprise and pulled her gun out quickly. Daryl stood in a crouch waiting for her to lower her gun. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it, bounded off the rock she was perched on and made for the other side of the stream.

Daryl quickly followed her, wading through the knee-deep water right on her tail. "The fuck are you running away for?" Daryl yelled.

"Just let me go, Daryl," Jo yelled over her shoulder, stumbling over a rock. Daryl lunged for her, submerging them both in the cold water. Daryl lifted her out of the water as she grasped for something to hold onto. She was sobbing.

"I ain't gonna let you go off on yer own. Stop being an idiot," Daryl said, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to face him.

"I don't wanna hurt you anymore. I've ruined everything," she cried.

"No ya haven't. I forgive you, OK? I forgave you the moment I walked away from ya. I'm just a stubborn ass. It's not yer fault the baby died. It just happened. You were scared. I get it."

Jo wiped the water out of her eyes and looked up at Daryl. "Truly? You forgive me?"

"Of course I do. I love ya, ya idiot. Now stop running and come home." Daryl let go of her shoulders.

"But I killed our baby…"

"Miscarriages happen all the time. Stop blaming yerself. Besides, if we want a baby it's not like we can't make another one," Daryl said, smirking.

Jo smiled for the first time in what felt like weeks. She jumped into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck and kissed him. Daryl lost his footing and stumbled onto his backside in the water. He let out a laugh and kissed her again.

"Will you two lovebirds get the hell outta the stream so we can head back?" Rick yelled laughing as Daryl lifted his left hand out of Jo's hair to flip him off.


End file.
